Wharton & Mine Hill Merger
An overview of the 2001 Wharton - Mine Hill Police Services Contract
In February 2001 Mine Hill Mayor Richard Leary and the Mine Hill Township Council approached Blue Shield Consulting. Mine Hill is a suburban blue collar town in central Morris County. It occupies about 3 square miles and has approximately 3,700 residents. Mine Hill’s problem was twofold, a small Police Department and no Police Chief to administer the department.
Five Areas
Blue Shield Consulting identified five areas of research for options to solve Mine Hill's problem:
Promotion of a Supervisor to Chief
Hire an outside individual as Chief
Hire a Public Safety Director
Consolidate the agency with an outside agency
Disband the department and contract police services with an adjacent agency.
Investigation and Determination
Investigation commenced with meetings with department members, including participating in patrol functions with subordinate officers. The investigation revealed a number of critical issues including a clear division of loyalties within the department, and problems with span of control, training, and experience in critical areas. The municipality was too small to afford a department sized to address
