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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Mobile Command Center: A Boy's Toy.....Wasteful Spending?

     The Westfield Police Department has less cops on the beat and more vehicles in it's fleet since Dave Wayman took charge of the department as patrol captain in 2006 and later as police chief in 2012.  As the old saying goes, a boy will have his toys. 
     SUV's, pick-up trucks, sedans, and a BMW are not enough to satisfy Chief Wayman.  Wayman now has his eyes on a mobile command center to round out the police department's carpool.  Outfitted with the latest in technology and electronics, mobile command centers can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Major cities and other metropolitan areas will often purchase such a vehicle due to necessity and logistics while handling large scale events. 
     Does Westfield need such a vehicle?   What event would necessitate such a vehicle......Spring Fling?  Fall Fest?  Downtown Pizza Run Extravaganza? 

 
     The Westfield municipal building has backup generators to run the police department in the event of a power failure and any large scale police response to a crime or investigation is supplemented by Union County with their own Mobile Command Center.
     So TFoTM asks:  Is the purchase of a mobile command center a necessity or a luxury?
    
    

9 comments:

  1. There are definitely good reasons to get a mobile unit but I'd like to see the police justify the expense before the town coughs up the expense.

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  2. Hey Greg,
    Do you remember when Westfield had a 4th of July Celebration and Elizabeth PD was gracious enough to lend us their mobile command post that was set up in Tamaques Park.....???? at no cost to the town...

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    1. That was once in how many decades Westfield needed a mobile command center? It wa for the bicentennial celebration of Westfield. How many times since then has a mobile command center been needed or borrowed? Answer that question and it is quite obvious that one is not needed for Westfield. For the once in a blue moon that a mobile command center is needed, or should I say once in the 200 years since Westfield was established one was borrowed, it is not necessary to own one. It's a luxury, not a necessity. Thank you for your comment.

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    2. Greg,
      The first posting wasnt in defense of the purchase on the other hand it was to bring out the frivolous spending habits of Mr. Wayman.....afterall how many vehicles has he gone through since taking power.....

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    3. you are wrong Anonymous.
      Elizabeth PD sent officers along with the mobile command unit and those officers were compensated at overtime rate to work the Westfield fireworks.

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  3. Guess Dave and Joey can use it when they go on their fishing trips.......

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  4. Guess Dave and the Mayor arent on the same page with doing more with less......

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  5. All while our fire department goes down in flames. Maybe the command center can be used to monitor Westfield homes as they burn to the ground because we lack the firemen and equipment to prevent it. Who decides these public safety priorities? What are their qualifications?

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  6. You got it all wrong. The mobile command center is so that Wayman can drive it down to Virginia to a security side job, hook up with his girlfriend and all the while micromanage the police department from the back bedroom of the RV. Ain't that right Dave? Missed Brunelle's funeral to work a security job in Virginia did you? Hmm, does she know?

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