Ramant N.J. Corruption: Police reps accuse Bloomfield of retaliating against chief

02.19.2014


Before an overflow crowd of officers on Tuesday, police representatives urged the Bloomfield Township Council not to create a civilian police director position and supported the reinstatement of Acting Police Chief James Behre.

FILE PHOTOS

James Behre is pictured after being named Bloomfield's officer in charge earlier this year.

Bloomfield Councilman Carlos Bernard denies allegations of wrongdoing.

Township Administrator Ted Ehrenburg put Behre on paid administrative leave within days of the acting chief accusing Councilman Carlos Bernard of political interference in police affairs. The leave has been reported to be because of the anger Behre exhibited.

Behre was recently named officer in charge upon the announcement that Police Chief Christopher Goul would retire.

The police representatives alleged Tuesday that Behre's forced leave was retaliation against the acting chief speaking out against Bernard at last week's council meeting.

Citing municipal personnel reasons, Mayor Michael Venezia declined public comment. He said that the Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating Behre's allegations.

After the police officers left the council meeting, Bernard addressed the matter for the first time in a brief statement.

"I welcome the prosecutor to investigate. I'm confident they will find I acted appropriately and ethically," he said.

Behre's allegations included Bernard calling officers directly to give tickets in his ward, that Behre said undermines the department's authority; requesting to have a ticket fixed; asking to assign Hispanics to the Detective Bureau; and wanting to "waive up" two Hispanics to take the sergeant's exam.

According to Behre, Bernard told him that the latter two would solidify the position of chief.

"I'm being targeted for standing up for minority and gender equality," Bernard said Tuesday.

The councilman noted the low amount of minorities on the 125-member force and said there was one minority among the 12 to 15 Bloomfield detectives. "Where is the equal opportunity?" he asked.

Police Benevolent Association Local 32 President Joseph Corio, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police's Immediate Past President Raymond Hayducka and NJSACP President Paul Cell supported Behre. "It was retaliation against him for naming names," Corio told the council.

The three also supported keeping a police chief instead of creating a civilian police director post.

"As someone who grew up in this town, everyone knew who the chief was," Hayducka said. With a police director, "you lose that personal touch," he said.

Hayducka said more than 40 municipalities with police directors went back to a police chief.

Corio said a police director has narrow powers and is not involved in day-to-day operations. He also said a civilian would be "a puppet with the council pulling the strings."

A police chief is a sworn officer, involved in criminal investigations and privy to confidential reports, Corio added.

"I urge you to fix what you have broken and don't fix what's not broken. Leave the administration of the police department to sworn officers," the PBA president said.



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