Monroe Township police took time to interact with the community on June 7 for a Cone with a Cop event at Stio’s Water Ice and Ice Cream, the department’s first public event since the pandemic
“We want to go full speed ahead, but it is all just starting out right now,” said Police Chief Craig Monohan. “We are getting back into the flow of things.”
Officers set up a table complete with pens, water bottles and coloring books for young kids, and were available to speak with members of the community about interests or concerns. The department also brought out multiple vehicles and flashed lights and sirens for the kids. The newly refurbished Emergency Management Vehicle and Tactical Patrol Truck was also on hand.
“We repurposed this truck, which started as an ambulance and rescue vehicle that went from our rescue squad to our volunteer fire department,” said Sgt. Ryan Borkowski, deputy coordinator for the Office of Emergency Management. “We turned it into a patrol response truck, which doubles as an emergency management vehicle. It holds anything we would need for an active shooter situation or command post.”
The vehicle has compartments filled with equipment, from traffic cones and signs to tools for breaching buildings in emergency situations. The inside was transformed into a command center with portable laptops, a TV screen, printer and charging stations.
The department is also hiring new officers to join the 63 now on the force; five of them have been sent to the academy and interviews are being scheduled.
“We are in the process of hiring and bolstering up our department,” Monahan explained. “We are trying to get our numbers back up. We are ready to move full speed ahead with the new generation of police officers.”
The department’s next public event is National Night Out on Aug. 3.
