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The police department is applying for a grant that would enable them to hire five new officers, Police Chief Mark Kinmon [pictured] said at last night’s council meeting.

The federal Community-Oriented Policing Services [COPS] grant would help pay the salaries of five officers for three years, Kinmon said, totaling about $1.4 million. The city would have to match 25 percent of the grant, or $350,000, he said.

The new hires would bring the city’s police department up to 89 officers, Kinmon said. He would like to see the officer count reach the mid-90s range, he said.

The department employed 95 officers in 2010, Kinmon said, and is now down to 84. Some special officers left recently to work full-time for Camden, he said.

“We’re stuck in a not-great situation,” he said. “We’re trying to get our numbers back so we can get some programs back in place.”

The department receives help from the United States Marshals, the State Police, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department at times, he said.

“There’s no question the city needs to hire additional police officers,” city manager Terence Reidy said. “We’ve been at a low point in the last year or so. This is a way for us to get back up to where we need to be.”

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