Washington officials say they are exploring options for replacing retiring Chief Paul Krych.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON Township officials said this week they may not require police lieutenants and sergeants to take an exam to fill the upcoming chief vacancy.
While officials refused to provide a specific plan, outgoing Chief Paul Krych said the Township Committee is considering striking a deal with Lts. Robert Woodruff and Martin Masseroni that would allow Lt. Woodruff to be chief of police for two years while creating the position of captain for Lt. Masseroni.
Lt. Woodruff, according to Chief Krych, would retire as chief in two years, allowing Lt. Masseroni then to hold the department’s top spot.
The chief said he was unhappy with the proposal, and that the township should test the lieutenants and sergeants to find his replacement.
The proposed deal reportedly was discussed in executive session Township Committee meetings.
The rank of captain is beneath chief, but higher than lieutenant. The position of lieutenant is superior to sergeant.
The department will be left without a chief at the end of the year, when Chief Krych will retire. He is currently on leave of absence. He announced in May that he would be leaving, after striking a retirement deal with the township, he said.
His departure announcement came on the heels of the retirement of Lt. Ralph Fiasco, who said in May that he would be leaving the force in June.
Both retirements came amid an investigation into claims that Lt. Fiasco misused his powers as a supervisor to threaten and mentally abuse officers, in addition to other allegations.
The township earlier this year lost an appeal of a 1999 worker’s compensation ruling in which a judge said former officer James Morris was mentally incapacitated through actions of Lt. Fiasco and Chief Krych.
Since the chief’s leave of absence began in June, Lt. Woodruff and Lt. Masseroni have shared the responsibility of running the department.
At a public meeting July 12, Township Committee members seemed determined to test to find a permanent replacement for the chief. But despite the words of less than two months ago, it seems the committee is doing an about-face on the issue.
"I would not object to selecting someone without testing," Committeeman Doug Tindall said last week. "Other options besides testing are being discussed."
He would not elaborate on the other options.
Mr. Tindall did say that since the July meeting he has learned that many chiefs do not take a test to become chief and that both of the township’s lieutenants were tested to become sergeants and again to become lieutenants.
He also said it would be a problem if the township had to allow both its lieutenants time off to study for the chief’s exam since they are both running the department right now.
Township Administrator Dick Van Noy said the Township Committee was considering alternatives to testing at his recommendation.
"The Township Committee is looking at promoting from within the department," he said. He added that the township will test for one sergeant position and one lieutenant position, but said he was prevented by Mayor Dave Fried from providing further details.
He said the lieutenants took oral, written and psychological exams three times to become officers, to be sergeants and to become lieutenants.
"We have to start looking for some other kinds of abilities," such as leadership and administrative skills, he said.
Committeemen Vince Calcagno and Jack Mozloom had no comment on the future of the Police Department. Committeewoman Cathy St. John could not be reached for comment.
Mayor Fried had little to say as well, except that the township was "discussing all options." He added that personally he would be happy with either Lt. Woodruff or Lt. Masseroni as chief.
"We have two very qualified guys," he said.
The mayor also said that he was unhappy to hear that executive session conversations again would be made public.
"I’m very disappointed that our executive session discussions have once again found their way into the newspapers," he said.
Mr. Calcagno agreed with the mayor, saying "there seems to have been another breech of executive session."
Earlier this year, Mr. Mozloom was censured by the rest of the committee for writing about executive session material in a column provided to The Messenger-Press. The column detailed how he believed the committee was trying to "force" Chief Krych to retire.
According to the chief, part of his retirement agreement was that the township would test to determine his replacement. Chief Krych said Mr. Van Noy assured him the testing would take place.
"From when I left they said they were going to test," he said. "This is the only fair way of doing it. That way it stays out of the hands of the mayor and the committee to put in whoever they want."
But Mr. Van Noy this week said there was no such deal with Chief Krych. He said he had no idea at the time how the township would fill the void. Since the chief took leave, township officials began discussing the idea of promoting from within without testing, he said.
Chief Krych said he wonders whether the township is allowed to promise Lt. Masseroni the chief’s position so far in advance.
"To me, it’s kind of illegal," he said. "What’s to stop Lt. Woodruff from not going out in two years?"
Bill O’Brien, spokesman for the state’s Department of Personnel, said because the township’s officers are not civil service employees the township does not have to test for the chief position.
"They can devise whatever procedure for hiring they deem appropriate," he said.
Mr. O’Brien said police departments in more than 200 municipalities state-wide including almost all of the larger departments are part of the civil service system.
He said civil service departments are required to test for chief. The procedure involves a test administered by the state.
Previously, at the July 12 Township Committee meeting, members discussed how they should go about replacing the police chief. At that time, Mr. Van Noy recommended all candidates including the department’s four sergeants and two lieutenants be given an oral exam. He said the oral testing procedure was recommended by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.
But Mr. Calcagno, Ms. St. John and Mr. Tindall said at that meeting that the oral exam was not sufficient. Despite the added cost of conducting a written exam, the three committee members supported both an oral and written procedure.
Mr. Calcagno said he wanted at least two ways to evaluate the candidates for chief and that the chief’s position was serious enough to warrant spending the extra money.
Mr. Van Noy at the time said he understood Mr. Calcagno’s argument.
"You’re making an investment and you want to spend the right money in the right place," Mr. Van Noy said.
Mr. Van Noy said the oral exam would cost the township about $1,900 to test all four sergeants and two lieutenants, but that the written exam was about $1,400 a person.
Mayor Fried was not at the July 12 meeting Deputy Mayor Doug Tindall presided. All committee members present except Mr. Mozloom voiced support for conducting both the written and the oral exams.
"We need to make an investment," Ms. St. John said.
Mr. Mozloom did not voice an opinion.
Mayor Fried said there might be public discussion on the matter at the Sept. 13 Township Committee meeting.

