Nowadays, with the economy as bad as it is, guess it could happen to anybody," says 23-year-old Ryan Watkins. He's a Vineland Police officer, one of 21 who could lose their jobs if Gov. Christie's plan goes through to cut the money towns get from hosting UEZs, Urban Enterprise Zones.
In these zones, business is stimulated by offering a reduced sales tax. Towns keep a share of the money generated and use it for economic development and city services.
Vineland steers about $2 million from the $6 million it gets to pay for police officers. But if that money's cut, it'll mean axing the jobs of rookie cops like Ryan Watkins.
"This job is stressful as it is with the stuff we have to do daily," Watkins said, "but knowing you might lose the job is just hard." /VINELAND POLICE DEPT.) "The loss of 21 would absolutely change the way we do everything in this department," said Vineland Police Chief Tim Codispoti. "In the way we would provide police presence in the community and also provide police response."
The mayor, a retired cop himself, says Vineland needs the money.
Mayor Bob Romano, a Republican, said "Cumberland County is the poorest county as it is in the state of New Jersey, and without the urban enterprise zone it's just going to be devastating to our county and our city."
Mayor Romano has a signed picture of Gov. Christie in his office and says he lobbied him personally about this during a recent lunch meeting for mayors at the governor's mansion.
He's making plans for a worst-case scenario, but the mayor is hoping lawmakers in Trenton will be able to block the governor's plan to cut the money urban enterprise towns can now keep.
We talked with a downtown flower shop manager who says the governor's wrong to cut the funding that helps pay for police. "A lot of things he's doing right, but not on the cops," said Maryam Karvar of Finer Flowers. "I think eventually he's going to pay in the long term for all the crimes that's going to happen."