The friction that exists between the Middlesex Township supervisors and the township's police department must be put to rest.

But that won't happen if the police won't cooperate with the requests of township officials and if officials continue to keep the community in the dark about what really is happening regarding the two sides.

Two troubling disclosures that emanated from Wednesday's supervisors meeting must be properly and expeditiously addressed, even if it requires calling in the state police to collect evidence. And, now that the existence of the problems has been disclosed during an official meeting, township residents deserve information, as soon as dissemination of that information is practicable.

It's troubling that three businesses have felt compelled to contact David McMaster, supervisors chairman, about "inappropriate actions" by the police. However, it's even more troubling that the police department has been balking at providing a report to the supervisors about tampering with three police vehicles that occurred after the township police force was disbanded at year's end.

The tampering occurred while the vehicles were stored inside the township garage sometime between the disbanding of the department and when the department was returned to service following an arbitrator's ruling.

That ruling was issued in April.

"I want a written report on the tampering of those vehicles," McMaster said at Wednesday's meeting. "Maybe we need to bring the state police in."

The supervisors should set a deadline for receiving the requested report, and if it is not forthcoming, the state police should be consulted about initiating an official investigation of what must be regarded as a crime.

Meanwhile, McMaster's decision to refer to alleged "inappropriate actions" by the township police should have been accompanied by a decision to publicly indicate the kind of inappropriate conduct that was being alleged.

He could have done that without disclosing specifics about what had occurred.

McMaster's refusal to more openly discuss the issue could be the basis for the "rumor mill" to sweep through the community — built more on misinformation than facts.

That's unfair to members of the department who are not part of what has been alleged.

While it was predictable that the supervisors' decision to disband the department — and the arbitrator's order that the department be reinstated and a subsequent decision by the supervisors to appeal that order— would be the basis for ongoing unhappiness, the kind of issues currently being discussed are not acceptable from any vantage point and must be resolved without delay.

In the best interests of the township, the supervisors and police need to sit down and discuss their differences and any morale or attitude issues that might be eroding relations between the two sides.

In the meantime, the police should ease residents' concerns about what is perceived by some to be little police presence. Such a situation is a detriment to public safety, and no member of the department should be party to such a scenario.

Middlesex residents need to watch the situation closely and let their feelings be known. This could be a time when both the supervisors and the police need their viewpoints.