A South River police officer has made charges against the borough’s top police officials that, if they are in any way true, should bring serious consequences for those involved. If, as the charges state, two police officials were promoted under false pretenses, then the borough has a major problem.
A court will ultimately decide whether the charges brought by South River police Lt. Joseph Kolakowski are accurate and if he was cheated out of a promotion due to the alleged use of fictitious college degrees by two other officers.
We can only hope that the allegations are not true; that officials did not knowingly promote two men who received credit for what Kolakowski says were degrees from the so-called Internet diploma mill.
If the lawsuit, which was filed in state Superior Court, New Brunswick, has any merit, the borough will be faced with more than legal expenses; it may want to re-evaluate its leadership.
As anyone with a computer and five minutes can easily discover, Rochville University is a questionable institution that sells degrees of higher learning — from high school diplomas to doctoral degrees — for a set fee with no studying or exams. Degrees are guaranteed to arrive within 15 days after payment of the fee. It is so-called universities like this that devalue the achievement and recognition of all students who actually cracked the books and worked for years to earn their diplomas at real schools and universities.
If the alleged events had taken place in a private-sector company, all those directly involved in such a scheme would immediately be fired. If those in authority learn that an applicant has misrepresented his or her résumé or experience — even after the applicant has been hired and worked for some time — the supervisor is obligated to take definitive action as soon as the misrepresentation comes to light and is proved. Life in public service should be no different.
At present, all the defendants remain innocent and should be perceived as such without question. However, anytime a community’s leadership is called into question with accusations such as those being made in South River, it can be a bit unnerving for those who pay the bills for the town and rely on their authorities to make decisions in an honest and just way. Let’s hope these promotions were based on exactly that.
If it turns out that those in authority in this community are simply circling the wagons to save face or embarrassment, then residents and elected officials should demand a full accounting when the facts are known.