The Plainsboro Police Department has a changing of the guard. Lieutenant Guy Armour, a 17-year veteran of the force, will become the next chief on October 1, replacing Richard Furda, retiring after three years in the position. Once Armour takes his new position, new lieutenants, sergeants, and corporals will also be promoted.
Armour, a 1987 graduate of Franklin High School, began his career in Plainsboro as a patrol officer in 1994. He worked his way up to the supervisory ranks in 2005 and became a lieutenant in 2010, in charge of special services. He has also overseen the detective bureau and traffic bureau and served as an internal affairs officer.
A resident of Columbus, NJ, Armour holds a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Communications from Thomas Edison State College. He is currently studying for a master’s degree in administrative science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
For Furda passing the 25-year service mark meant it was time to step aside, just as his predecessor did. Furda replaced Elizabeth Bondurant, who joined the Plainsboro police in 1983. This fall it’s Furda’s turn after spending 26 years coming through the ranks.
Furda was appointed by Township Administrator Robert O. Sheehan. He was a lieutenant and 22-year veteran of the force at the time. Lieutenant Troy Bell, who joined the force in Plainsboro in 1988, three years after Furda, acknowledged his colleague’s achievements. “He did an honorable job and a lot of good for the town and the department, and I feel he’s left the department in good hands. I think in all the goals he wanted to accomplish he was successful,” Bell said.
When Bell was promoted to sergeant, Armour, then a corporal, reported to him. He said Armour has always been a hard worker and very energetic.
Bell anticipates a change in style at the helm of the police department. He says Armour had a big say in the department’s promotion process in recent months, and a few officers who started their new jobs this summer mentioned that his leadership added inspiration.
In a statement released September 21 Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu said Armour’s “excellent interpersonal skills make him well equipped to mentor and develop the many talented young officers that have joined the department in recent years.”
#b#New Record System For Plainsboro PD#/b#
Plainsboro will purchase a new computer-aided dispatch and records management system (CAD/RMS) that Chief Richard Furda described as “a quantum leap” in the department’s ability to assist personnel, keep them on the road, and know what police officers are doing.
Data on personnel, calls, and services provided will be stored as well as statistical data that the current system cannot calculate.
“We evaluated a series of CAD systems, and Spillman Technologies [a Utah-based firm] rose to the top. Their program provides us with a myriad of tools that we currently don’t have. We will be able to do automobile accident reports and diagrams from the police cars, even swiping driver’s licenses for E-ticket information,” he said.
Furda explained that the current system was at the end of its useful life and was no longer meeting the department’s needs.
The new system has a price tag of $360,000, according to Jeff Kunz, who handles New Jersey sales and accounts for Spillman. Furda lauded the company, saying Spillman has a 95 percent retention rate and has never been sued for lack of quality. The chief said the new system is known for reliability and will save $21,000 in maintenance costs associated with the current system.
“Spillman also provides us with potential advantages such as longevity. East Windsor has utilized their system for over 20 years without a problem,” he said.
Committee member Michael Weaver asked Chief Furda if additional enhancements and other technology might be needed to meet the department’s needs, or if the Spillman system will encompass most capabilities.
“All of the enhancements we were interested in are already included in this software package. We will not need additional equipment or different types of computers, just possible software updates down the road,” he said.
Furda said that Spillman’s program can be customized for many components, but what Plainsboro needed was not the most elaborate model on the market. Furda referred to a $1 million system that Toms River installed as unnecessary for Plainsboro.
#b#Plainsboro Police Add Three Officers#/b#
This summer the Plainsboro Police welcomed three new officers to the ranks: Deon McCall, Patrick Miller, and Dan Reichard.
Miller, a native of Franklin Township, trained in Somerset County while Reichard, originally from Berkeley Heights, completed training in Atlantic County. Reichard originally interviewed with the Plainsboro department while he was still in the police academy. When he first visited the area he immediately took a liking to it.
“Compared with other towns I had interviewed in, I felt more comfortable with Plainsboro. It reminded me of Berkeley Heights although it’s a lot bigger and has a lot more people,” he said.
Reichard attended Union County College and Richard Stockton College. He served as a marine for eight years. He spent most of 2006 and 2007 stationed in Iraq, handling convoy security in Alambar province.
“It was a positive experience and I believe in the mission over there. It prepared me for many things in life. I saw a lot of good that wasn’t reported, and also the less fortunate things that you really don’t want to see,” Reichard says.
McCall, a native of Jackson, is the only one of the three who has previously worked as a police officer – in Burlington County. He attended Kean University for one semester before transferring to Ocean County College. From there McCall was accepted into the police academy. He hopes to to return to college to complete his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Prior to pursuing a career in law enforcement McCall aspired to be a teacher because he’s always enjoyed helping people and youth in particular. He worked in a daycare center for six years but he eventually realized that he wasn’t happy being indoors for most of the day.
The nature of police work fits his lifestyle well. McCall is training for his first half-marathon at Seaside in October. He runs every day and lifts weights several times a week. For recreation he plays flag football and basketball in the winter months. He works out on the track at High School North.
“I like the spontaneity of being a police officer, how you’re constantly out and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
Miller graduated from the police training program in December, 2009. He spent almost a year and a half looking for a position, but in Plainsboro he believes that he’s found a great opportunity on several levels. “Since coming here my desire to learn has never been stronger,” Miller said.
Part of what he learns may be passed down someday. Miller and Reichard share the goal of eventually going back to the police academy and teaching the next generation of police officers.
