B.A. Jillian Barrick, Lt. Colonel Frank E. Rodgers (Ret.), President of the Rodgers Group LLC and Police Chief Benjamin Ruiz at the 9/8/14 Caucus Meeting. *Photo by Carolyn Maxwell
PERTH AMBOY – At the 9/8/14 Caucus Meeting, Frank Rodgers appeared before the Council to give detailed information and answer questions about what his organization has done to help the Perth Amboy Police Department.
The Rodgers Group LLC is a consulting service to assist police departments in securing NJSA COP reaccreditation.
During his presentation, Rodgers said, “We train over 5,000 officers a month in New Jersey. One town saved $350,000 in court costs after going through our training. Training is based on each city’s guidelines. We have completed training in over 100 cities and we have done training for half of the prosecutor’s offices and in some sheriff’s departments. In the City of Perth Amboy you lost your status because other things took priority. We have a 100% track record. We have two departments which include training and accreditation. Because you have gone through the training one time, we can give you a discount. We are contracted by over 100 communities and we were the only company that submitted proposals to them. Morris County paid to have each police department accredited. Some towns have received grants to offset costs. We are the only company in the country to be accredited by a university (Fairleigh Dickinson).The insurance industry supports our training practices. All the police departments that go through the training classes are given a test after completing each module. All the material is mandated by the Attorney General. The longest module is four hours (domestic violence). Others are 30 to 90 minutes. There is a time frame when a test has to be taken after completion of each individual module. We trained the original Camden Police Department and now we’re going back now that the State has taken over.”
Rodgers said, “We have nothing to do with the accrediting body.”
Resident Alan Silber
Police Chief Benny Ruiz addressed some of the concerns of some of the critics of this program. He stated, “Some individuals may have to take the training or the testing several times. If an individual does not meet the mandates after retesting, they can lose their job.”
He also explained that when he became chief, some of the officers who had gone through the training previously had been reassigned to other duties. “We reassigned people to catch up so we could get the accreditation. We never stopped using the practices that we had learned, even when we lost the accreditation. There were some police who had the training and have since retired. The majority of our personnel is new.”
Former Council President and retired Police Officer Ken Balut said, “We lost a $600,000 lawsuit while we were accredited. Camden was accredited and was still taken over by the State. He (Frank E. Rodgers) need the money. That’s why he started this company.”
Resident Alan Silber said, “Mr. Rodgers presentation was smooth. He said at the beginning of his presentation that he quit his job to make money. Then he said that the statement that was made by a critic, that he just started the program to make money was an ignorant statement. Training should start with the heads of police departments.”
At the 9/8/14 Caucus Meeting and the 9/10/14 Council Meeting, there were last minute arguments made about not awarding the contract to the Rodgers Group.
Kenny Balut
Ken Balut said, “The Prosecuter’s Office had several harassment charges after they were accredited. As a whole the Rodgers Group is going to cost more money. Talking to a computer is just that. You need a live person to talk to that has seen action on the street. Do what you (The Council) want. In my opinion, it’s a scam.”
Councilman Bill Petrick said that forfeiture funds paid for the Rodgers Group training before.”
Alan Silber told the Council, “I think Frank Rodgers’ presentation made you decide it’s not a good program. Mr. Rodgers made very disparaging remarks. Only 4 Middlesex County Departments are accredited. Mr. Rodgers is putting out stats that he couldn’t verify. Look what happened in the Sheriff’s Department with the previous Sheriff. The then Deputy Sheriff who is now the Sheriff did not know about the corruption that was taking place at the time.”
R-433 Authorizing a contract with The Rodgers Group LLC for consulting services assisting the police department in securing NJSA COP reaccreditation in the amount not to exceed $39,000. Resolution was approved by all Council Members except for William Petrick who voted “no.”
R-434 Authorizing a contract with The Rodgers Group LLC for the purchase of the 2015 subscription of the On-Line In Service Training Module Program in the amount not to exceed $20,672 was approved by all Council Members.
