"I can't make up the work of 108 guys," lamented Acting Police Capt. Mark Kieffer just before an emotional ceremony in front of the department headquarters in which about 60 laid-off officers set their boots on the sidewalk and received one last salute.
Trenton and New Jersey's other urban centers have long relied on money from the state government to help balance their budgets. In Trenton, that aid in the past has accounted for more than one-fourth of the budget.
The task has become much more difficult as the state has cut its aid over the last two years. Mayor Tony Mack said the city received $55 million in special aid from the state last year. This year, the figure was about $27 million.
Police layoffs were originally planned for last year, but Mack called them off, hoping he could wangle some more money to keep the officers.
"We wanted to make sure that was our last option," he said.
Mack said Friday that he could not hold out any longer.
He said the layoffs would save the city $4 million in the current fiscal year and more in the future when the city is off the hook for paying unemployment benefits for the laid-off officers.
Officials expect that 18 officers can be reinstated next month through a federal grant and hope that more grants later will help return additional officers.
Cities across the state reluctantly laid off police over the past year for similar reasons to Trenton's.
The state's largest city, Newark, trimmed its force by 15 percent late last year. Atlantic City, home of the state's casino's industry, and Camden, its most impoverished and crime-ridden city, have also had deep cuts but have been able to cobble together money, largely through grants, to rehire many officers.
The effect on crime in those cities is not clear. Experts on criminology are split on the degree to which police cuts lead to more crime.
The mayor said he's asking state police to do more to protect the downtown areas where thousands of state workers have offices. The department has also demoted 27 officers, a move that pushes many detectives and some department brass back to the street.
