CHIEF OF POLICE - Montclair Township

Montclair Police Dept.2007 Annual ReportDEPARTMENT INITIATIVESFALSE ALARM REDUCTION PROGRAMSince the implementation of the False Alarm Reduction Program,we have experienced a 24% reduction in false alarm calls. In2007 we responded to 3,334 false alarm calls as opposed to 4,363in 2006. That’s a reduction of 1,029 calls which equates to a savingsof over 515 man-hours where officers can be assigned to other lawenforcement matters such as directed patrol, radar enforcement etc.TRAINING DIVISIONThe Training Division launched our schoolsafety initiative which provided for a totaldepartment training exercise on activeshooter incidents and school violenceincidents. Every member of the departmentfrom Chief on down was trained in properresponse and tactics for dealing with activeshooter incidents. Police vehicles are nowequipped with ballistic shields acquiredthorough a grant providing necessaryprotection for officers responding to activeshooter incidents.In an effort to further enhance our training, we will be introducing simunitions into ourtraining program. Simunitions, or simulated ammunition, enables our officers to engagein various training exercises that will become as realistic as possible. The necessaryequipment has been acquired through the use of seized narcotics funds. In ourincreasingly violent world, realistic training will assist our officer to be prepared shouldany such incident occur.A CHILD IS MISSINGThe Montclair Police Department has incorporated this valuable toolinto our procedures in early 2007. A Child Is Missing (ACIM) is anational non-profit organization that offers free assistance to lawenforcement by aiding in the recovery of missing persons (includingchildren, elderly, and the disabled). They provide immediate telephonealerts to the surrounding communities when an individual goesmissing. ACIM alerts have led to more than 310 recoveries.The speedy recovery of a missing person is vital to their safety. In conjunction with ourown search and recovery efforts, the ACIM alert system provides additional resourcesduring such a time sensitive situation.27