Manalapan Officer Gets Approval for Higher Fence to Train Police Dog

The Howell Township Zoning Board of Adjustment held a brief meeting on Monday evening where one resident was given permission to alter a fence surrounding his home.

Robert Herring, of Howell, came before the board seeking to increase the size of the fence surrounding his property from four feet to six feet high. The new fence would push his property out to a 25 foot set back.

Herring, a patrolman in Manalapan, explained to the board the reason he was looking for a variance was because he was hoping to use his backyard to train a K-9 for the .

“The six foot fence would be a much better solution to house a police canine,” Ptl. Herring noted. He explained that he wanted the higher fence for privacy and so the dog would not scare neighbors, and vice-versa.

Board Chairman Stephen Meier asked why fences were originally limited to four feet high, and Board Planner Jennifer Beahm offered a solution.

“When this ordinance was put into place, it was designed so homes throughout the borough would not be enclosed by such high fences,” she said. “However, I understand the need for privacy in this matter, but I leave the decision up to the board.”

Board Engineer Jack Mallon asked if the fence would follow all other regulations, including distance from the property, and Ptl. Herring said it would meet the 49-foot requirement enforced by the township.

When asked what type of fence would be installed, the patrolman said he was planning on putting up a solid six-foot white vinyl fence.

Board member Wendell Nanson then asked what type of training this canine would undergo. Herring said it would be a search-and-rescue dog, rather than an attack dog.

“I have children, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with an attack dog,” he said.

Ptl. Herring explained that Manalapan does not currently have a K-9 unit, but newly appointed Chief of Police Christopher Marsala is hopeful that, by taking the initiative to train a police dog, the program would be brought back.

The zoning board members voted to give Ptl. Herring unanimous initial approval for the building project, and wished him luck in his endeavor. A final resolution on the project will be heard at the board’s next meeting.