West Wildwood Urged to Disband Police Department – Protest Tonight
A blistering report from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) recommends that the Borough of West Wildwood disband its police department and contract services with a neighboring municipality—most likely the City of Wildwood.
The 134-page report,(which you can read here) released May 29, 2025, outlines a troubling pattern of mismanagement, outdated practices, and severe operational deficiencies within the tiny borough’s police force.
According to the NJSACOP, the department lacks basic leadership, proper training, accountability measures, and even sufficient staff to maintain 24-hour coverage.
Key Findings From the Report
The report describes the West Wildwood Police Department as being in “crisis in all the identified critical areas,” citing:
- A complete absence of strategic and transition planning
- No proper evidence or property audit, creating potential legal vulnerabilities
- No investigative function or officer assigned to follow up on crimes
- Poor or nonexistent officer training records
- An outdated or absent policy and procedure manual, with many general orders dating back to the early 2000s
- Inadequate internal affairs oversight, which is now managed by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office
- Station security and prisoner processing areas deemed noncompliant, with no updates since a failing 2019 state inspection
The report states that;
As of April 2025, the department had only four full-time officers and one part-time officer. One was planning to leave, and the chief has been on terminal leave for nearly two years. The remaining highest-ranking officer is a sergeant, Det. Mark Weeks, who was appointed by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office to oversee day-to-day operations.
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The report highlights a severe lack of leadership development and supervisory training, making it impossible for the department to self-sustain. “There is a complete lack of leadership,” the report reads, and it further recommends recruiting a new Chief of Police from outside the department if the force is to remain intact—though it clearly suggests otherwise.
Recommendation: Disband the Department
The NJSACOP ultimately recommends that West Wildwood disband its police department and enter into a formal service contract with a neighboring town—most logically Wildwood City.
This would entail either:
- Creating a 24/7 patrol coverage agreement requiring nearly five full-time officers from the contracting agency
- Or establishing a regional patrol zone that includes West Wildwood, due to its relatively low crime rate and limited summer surge in calls
Though there may be short-term costs—such as severance pay mandated by the police union contract—the report states that a contracted model would be more cost-effective and provide better services in the long run.
West Wildwood which is made up of roughly 550 year-round residents, are not happy about losing their dedicated police force.
As one West Wildwood resident said, “Wildwood PD has enough problems as it is, especially with the curfew situation and recent troubles with the teenagers.”
Adding later “ We definitely want to keep our police department, and would love to hire new police to help protect us. The funds are in our budget, our Commissioners are failing us.”
Tonight, June 6th, there will be an informational protest at Borough Hall to address the matter. Starting at 6:15, this will be the prelude to the town hall meeting happening at 7:00.
Where do you stand on the matter?