Police Vehicle Reduction Draws Questions From Residents at Sayreville Council Meeting

SAYREVILLE, NJ — Questions about the number and allocation of new police vehicles surfaced during the public portion of a recent Sayreville Borough Council meeting, as residents sought clarification on why fewer vehicles are now slated for purchase than originally planned.

Residents pointed to a resolution authorizing five vehicles for the Sayreville Police Department, a reduction from the nine SUVs included in the original bond ordinance. The ordinance had previously been postponed and tabled until after the election, prompting questions about how the delay may have affected the final order.

Resident Jim Robinson said he was told the reduction stemmed from the delayed bonding process. “The reason given to me for going from nine vehicles down to five was the delayed bonding ordinance that we held for, I don’t know, a month and a half until after the election,” Robinson said.

Robinson also questioned why the vehicles being ordered are 2025 models while other municipal departments are receiving newer vehicles. “Some of the other departments are getting 2026 vehicles,” he said.

Looking ahead, residents asked whether the remaining four vehicles would be purchased at a later date. Robinson questioned whether patrol officers would “get those four additional vehicles sometime in 2026.”

Concerns were also raised about how the five vehicles would be distributed within the department. Robinson said he had heard the new vehicles might be assigned to command staff rather than patrol officers.

“I’m being told that because there are only five being ordered, those five are going to the brass, not to the road patrol,” Robinson said. He added that patrol officers should be prioritized, noting, “It’s the men and women operating vehicles 24/7 that are putting the miles on and ought to have the newer, better cars.”

Borough Administrator Glenn Skarzynski responded by confirming that the police department’s initial request had been for nine vehicles. He said the final mix was influenced by operational considerations raised by the police chief.

“There was a preference expressed by the police chief that we do a certain amount of Tahoes and a certain amount of Explorers,” Skarzynski said. He explained the request was made because some officers “aren’t too tall and the Tahoes are a little bit harder for them to handle.”

Addressing concerns about vehicle assignments, Skarzynski said he was not aware of any plan to reserve the new vehicles for command staff.

“I have not heard this rumor about the brass getting the new vehicles,” Skarzynski said. “The priority does go to uniform patrol vehicles.”

He added, “I’d be shocked to see if that was happening.”

Skarzynski also noted that the borough typically acquires police vehicles through the Cranford cooperative purchasing system.

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