While Mayor Daniel Rodrick and his administration concentrate of movies, concerts and putting township employees and animals on the street, Chief of Police Mitch Little continues to protect and serve along with his understaffed Toms River Police Department. We thought it was time to look at statistics since almost half a year has passed since Mayor Rodrick attacked the Police Department with freezing promotions, not allowing 2 Captains positions to be filled and firing the Public Information Officer. To remind all, Mayor Rodrick attempted to remove the positions from the Township Code, however a petition signed by over 3,079 voting residents forced the Township Council to withdraw this Ordinance, but the Mayor will not fill positions.
Currently, the department has a Chief and three Bureau Commanders, a reduction of four command positions. A 2021 efficiency study conducted by the Government Strategy Group, which stated the department “operates extremely ‘lean and efficient’ with no recommendations to reduce personnel.” The department has 158 officers which is 4 less officers than it had two decades ago. The context of these numbers is significant, with the increase in calls for service then from 43,885 to 65,000 per year now, and a current population close to 100,000 residents, of which, U.S. Census data does not count motels or the burgeoning summer tourist population.
With summer a week away and the population growing and traffic increasing, in May, six people who were slated to attend the Ocean County Police Academy to be trained as Class I special officers for Toms River were removed from the course because they were missing paperwork from the township. The Special Law Enforcement Officer Class I course at the academy, provides the training without a fee to officers working for Ocean County towns, according to the academy’s website. Class I officers are authorized to perform routine traffic details, spectator control and other similar duties, but are not authorized to carry a firearm. Mayor Rodrick has never addressed this “lapse in process,” but it has been reported that the applications were on his desk and not processed. To date, the training of these officers have not occurred and will result in less Class 1 officers this summer.
The numbers below represent statistics through May 31, 2024 as comparison.
| Year1 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Total Automobile Accidents | 1474 | 1512 |
| Speeding Violations | 211 | 327 |
| DWI Violations | 98 | 96 |
| Major Crime Incidents | 111 | 118 |
| Total Police Calls to Dispatch | 46,576 | 46,421 |
| Total Police Calls to Dispatch Requiring Response | 28,942 | 30,582 |
| Total EMS Calls to Dispatch | 5,255 | 5,438 |
| Average EMS Response Time from Dispatch to Arrival2 | 2 mins 47 sec to 7 mins 38 sec | 2 mins 31 sec to 7 mins 46 sec |