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Fanwood police report 1,016 calls in September; council hears rescue squad staffing concerns
Summary
Police Commissioner Patricia Walsh reported 1,016 September calls for service (~33/day), 140 vehicle stops (138 summonses) and department training; a council member reported the rescue squad had 21 calls and a 38% insufficient-crew rate in September and is actively recruiting for weekend and overnight coverage.
Police Commissioner Patricia Walsh presented the department's September summary to the council on Oct. 16, reporting 1,016 calls for service (about 33 per day), including:
- 108 traffic-enforcement details - 289 building security checks - 87 park-and-walk details - 39 medical calls and 26 fire/burglar alarms - 140 vehicles stopped, resulting in 138 summonses (100 moving violations, 38 parking)
Walsh said all full-time sworn officers qualified on department-issued firearms last month and noted the department received a silver recognition award from a nonprofit traffic-safety organization; she also announced a community "Police and Pumpkins" event on Oct. 28 at La Grande Park.
Separately, a council member reported the rescue squad responded to 21 calls in September and that the squad's insufficient-crew call rate has improved to 38% in the month (a metric the council noted as now more accurately tracked with county data). The squad is recruiting new members and requested more weekend and overnight coverage to reduce staffing gaps.
The council thanked all volunteers and town departments for their roles in recent community events and noted an after-action report on Fanwood Day/5K will be used to identify fixes for next year.
The meeting did not include formal policy votes on police staffing or rescue-squad funding; the reports were informational and will inform future work by the council and town staff.
