City of East Orange, NJ Chapter 25 Department of Public Safety; Public Safety Citizens Advisory Council

[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of East Orange 2-2-2015 by Ord. No. 3-2015;[1] amended in its entirety 4-13-2015 by Ord. No. 20-2015. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Administrative organization, generally — See Ch. 5.

Office of Emergency Management — See Ch. 5, Art. XVIII.

Division of Fire — See Ch. 14A, Art. IV.

Division of Police — See Ch. 14A, Art. X.

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance was originally adopted as Ch. 29 but was renumbered to maintain the alphabetical organization of the Code.

§ 25-1 Department created; head; divisions.

There is hereby established the Department of Public Safety, the head of which shall be the Public Safety Director. The Department of Public Safety shall consist of the Division of Police, the Division of Fire and the Division of Office of Emergency Management.

§ 25-2 Director of Public Safety.

A. The Public Safety Director shall be a City official appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council for a term of office coterminous with the office of the Mayor. The Public Safety Director shall be compensated pursuant to the appropriate Salary Ordinance establishing the guideline for such compensation. The authority of the Mayor to appoint the Fire Chief on an acting basis shall be subject to the provisions of § 60-10.

B. The Public Safety Director shall be qualified by training and experience for the duties of the position and shall have the following qualifications, unless said qualifications are waived by affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the entire Council: a minimum of 10 years' experience as a member of a police department, fire department or other law enforcement agency, five years of which shall have been in a supervisory and administrative capacity.

C. The Public Safety Director shall be responsible for the administration, regulation and discipline of the Division of Police, the Division of Fire and the Office of Emergency Management.

D. The Public Safety Director shall report to the Mayor with recommendations related to conditions of the Department and its improvements and needs.

§ 25-3 Powers and duties of Director of Public Safety.

The Public Safety Director, under the supervision of the Mayor, shall:

A. Exercise such powers as set forth in the applicable statutes which shall specifically include the powers granted to the appropriate authority pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-7 et seq., and N.J.S.A. 40A:14-118 et seq., and all other applicable laws, including, but not limited to, promulgation and adoption of rules and regulations for the government of the Office of Emergency Management and the Police and Fire Divisions and discipline of their members.

B. Supervise the Police Chief, Fire Chief and Director of the Office of Emergency Management, who shall be directly responsible to the Public Safety Director for the efficiency and routine day-to-day operations of the police and fire rank-and-file.

C. Organize the divisions according to such tables of organization as the Director shall deem necessary and appropriate.

D. Prescribe the duties and assignments of all subordinates and other personnel; establish performance criteria for the Department as a whole as well as its individual members and conduct periodic evaluations to assure compliance with those criteria.

E. Determine policy and direction for the Police Division, Fire Division and Office of Emergency Management.

F. Provide recommendations to Mayor and City Council for the establishment of ordinances to assist in the governance and management of the Police and Fire Divisions.

G. Provide annually a report to the Mayor and City Council concerning the state of the Office of Emergency Management, Police and Fire Divisions and police and fire activity in the City.

H. Report to the Mayor and City Administrator.

I. Issue special emergency directives as necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the municipality in an emergency.

J. Receive daily reports or other periodic reports as designated by the Public Safety Director from the Office of Emergency Management and Police and Fire Chiefs, including but not limited to:

(1) Budget and expenses;

(2) Manpower allocations, including overtime, vacation, sick and compensatory time accumulation, and usage reports for all personnel;

(3) Accident reports;

(4) Incident reports;

(5) Personnel-related issues; and

(6) All general orders issued by the Office of Emergency Management and the Police and Fire Chiefs.

K. Examine the operations of the Office of Emergency Management and the Police and Fire Divisions and the performance of any officer or member thereof.

L. Establish and maintain relations with school, civil and private organizations to assure a full understanding of the public safety effort.

M. Conduct public relations and public information programs on behalf of the Department in order to maintain the required relationship between the Department and the citizens of the City of East Orange.

N. Promote a close liaison with the various agencies of the City of East Orange and attend meetings of the City Council to better coordinate the functioning of the Office of Emergency Management and the Police and Fire Divisions with the work of all municipal agencies.

§ 25-4 Establishment of Public Safety Citizens Advisory Council.

The Public Safety Citizens Advisory Council is hereby established.

§ 25-5 Membership of Citizens Advisory Council.

[Amended 6-22-2020 by Ord. No. 23-2020]

The Public Safety Advisory Council shall consist of 14 members. Each member of the Council shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to Council confirmation. Two members of the Council shall be between the age of 15 and 20. Two members of the Council shall be between the age of 21 and 30. The council shall include one member who is actively employed in the law enforcement and/or public safety field, provided that such member is not a current employee of the City of East Orange.

§ 25-6 Powers and duties of Public Safety Citizens Advisory Council.

A. The Public Safety Citizens Advisory Council shall be considered a public body as defined in the Open Public Meetings Act and shall conduct public meetings accordingly at least four times a year. The Council shall act by resolution subject to approval and veto by the Mayor as set forth in § C-16 of the Charter.

B. The Citizens Advisory Council shall have the following powers:

(1) To conduct sessions to hear concerns of citizens.

(2) Recommend to the Mayor, City Administrator and Public Safety Director policies to enhance the operation, management and efficiency of the East Orange Department of Public Safety and the Divisions of Office of Emergency Management, Police and Fire.

(3) Serve as an advisory council to the Mayor and Public Safety Director.

(4) Such other legally permissible duties and activities, except that additional duties may be specifically designated by resolution of City Council upon recommendation of the Mayor.

§ 25-7 Conflicts with other provisions.

Should any other chapter or provision of this Code conflict with the provisions of this chapter; the terms of this chapter shall be deemed to control and be in effect.