Council Hopeful: Cops Don't Need Another Captain

Councilman Michael dePierro set off a debate Tuesday night with his plan to  in the . But the veteran municipal lawmaker can now say his idea has bipartisan support.

Many residents—among them, Mayor James Barberio, a fellow Republican—vehemently opposed dePierro's plan, which would limit the PPD to three police captains.

The department's table of operations shows three captains now serving. Barberio and Police Chief Anthony DeZenzo want to promote Lt. Jeffrey Storms to become the town's fourth captain. With the promotion, Storms would help oversee the Parsippany Office of Emergency Management, which recently was placed under PPD control.

But Democratic Township Council candidate Jonathan Nelson said dePierro has the right idea.

He called the councilman's motion "a first step in bringing down the ratio of superior officers to patrolmen."

The chief has admitted that the police department is understaffed when it comes to patrol officers, but insisted that the town is well-protected.

Nelson disagreed.

"As of May 2012, there was one supervisor for every 2.3 patrol officers," he said in a written statement. "[R]educing one captain position is a smart first step to reduce the top-heavy ratio and get more patrolmen to protect the community."

Mayor Barberio said Chief DeZenzo recommends promoting Storms and that the council should listen to the chief.