Wyckoff September 28, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Police recruits now required to have four-year degree by John Koster The Wyckoff Township Committee last week adopted an ordinance that requires candidates for the job of police officer to hold a four-year college degree. “The police profession has changed dramatically through the years,” Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said in a letter to the township committee endorsing the ordinance. “Officers get a level of in-service training that far surpasses that of previous decades. The technological world that we live in exists within the police profession as well -- something that was not necessary to know in the past. “By enhancing the eligibility of requirements for police officers, the Township of Wyckoff further assures that candidates for police positions in the future have the skills and knowledge necessary to see that the community will always be protected by a competent police agency. The position of police officer has become a well compensated, professional career path. Such a position should have candidates with extended learning at the college level. I urge the township committee to support and pass the proposed ordinance increasing the minimal education standards for the position of police officer.” The starting salary for Wyckoff police officers is $41,384 on acceptance and increases to $46,919 on completion of the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute after six months. The salary then rises in seven increments, with a salary of $60,734 at the second year (the first full year of active service as a patrol officer) and reaches $111,358 at the top of the scale after seven years. The seventh step will rise to $120,506 by 2014, according to the contract negoti- Area Bergen County Superintendent of Elections Patricia DiCostanzo has issued a notice that Tuesday, Oct. 18 is the last day for residents to register to vote for the Nov. 8, 2011 general election in the State of New Jersey. In order to be eligible to vote, a person must be an American citizen, be a minimum of 18 years of age on or before Nov. 8, 2011, and be a resident of New Jersey and Bergen County by Oct. 18, 2011. Bergen County residents may register to vote at the Office of the Superintendent of Elections, One Bergen County Plaza, Room 380, in Hackensack. In order to meet the needs of residents, this office will be open from 9 to 9 on Tuesday, Oct. 18. People may also register at their local municipal clerk’s office; hours vary. Superintendent DiCostanzo would like voters who are Deadline for general election is approaching already registered in Bergen County to be aware of the procedures regarding late address changes within county. If a voter has moved from one election district to another in the same town or has moved to another town in Bergen County before Nov. 8, 2011, but did not notify the county office in writing by Oct. 18, 2011, he or she must vote at the new polling location in his or her municipality on the day of the general election. Call the local municipal clerk or the Bergen County Superintendent of Elections for details. The office of the Bergen County Superintendent of Elections is responsible for voter registration and all associated concerns, issuing voter acknowledgement cards, maintaining custody of voting machines and poll books, and other duties relating to the enforcement of elections laws. (continued on page 9) ated between the Wyckoff Township Committee and the Wyckoff PBA. The ordinance adopted on Sept. 20 requires that any applicant for the position of police officer be a citizen of the United States and the State of New Jersey; be able to read, write, and speak the English language; and hold a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree from a college or university accredited by a national accrediting agency listed by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants must also be of good moral character, be between 18 and 35 years of age, and never convicted of a criminal offense involving moral turpitude. A psychiatric examination, the proper relationship of weight to height, and a written test are also required. The police ordinance, and a separate ordinance changing the fee scale for film production within the borders of Wyckoff, were both adopted without comment from the audience or from members of the governing body. The filming ordinance provides for fees of $600 for a filming permit issued by the township clerk’s office, $500 a day for each day of filming, and $1,500 a day if the filming is for a major motion picture or TV series. The permit for educational and non-profit films remains at $25 per day.