By Nick Norlen, Staff Writer
Three Princeton Borough police officers have been suspended pending an administrative probe by the department and a criminal investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office that could result in their termination.
Some involved in the case said it’s the latest in a series of conflicts between the department’s administration and officers who are members of the local Policemen’s Benevolent Association union, PBA 130.
The three suspended officers are Sgt. Kenneth Riley, Sgt. Kevin Creegan, a PBA member, and patrolman and PBA Vice President William Perez, according to their lawyer, PBA 130 attorney James Mets, who said he has entered not guilty pleas for the officers.
Though he didn’t identify the three officers by name, Borough Police Chief Anthony Federico said they were suspended last week after a complaint was filed by another officer in the department.
Mr. Mets declined to comment on what charges are being pursued, saying only that they are “slightly different” for each officer.
However, James Ryan, a spokesman for the State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, which has become involved in the case at the request of the local union and is providing legal advice, said the charges stem from the three officers’ questioning of “the handling of a motor vehicle stop involving a minority.”
After the incident was investigated, the involved individuals were cleared, but the now-suspended officers then became the subjects of a probe in which at least one of them was accused of tampering with those involved in the initial incident, Mr. Ryan said.
”The people who reported the problem are now the ones that are suffering the consequences,” he said, noting that such a situation creates a “dangerous precedent.”
However, Mr. Ryan admitted the state organization doesn’t have all the “specifics” about what has happened at the department.
The charges come approximately one month after an “unfair practice” complaint was filed with the state’s Public Employment Relations Commission by Mr. Mets on behalf of PBA 130.
The document, filed on Feb. 1 and provided by PERC Thursday, includes seven pages of allegations of inappropriate administrative action against various members of the union and paints a picture of consistent clashes between union members and the department’s administration due to a perceived desire by the department brass for loyalty to them, rather than PBA.
Focusing primarily on allegations of mistreatment of PBA president and Officer Sean McNeff, who was the subject of a disciplinary hearing last summer that was later settled privately, the complaints also request the reassignment of Officers Christopher Tash and Wayne Bender to the department’s Detective Bureau, which it alleges they were removed from because of their affiliation with the union.
Ultimately, the complaint seeks PERC to “order the borough to cease and desist from engaging in retaliation and threats against PBA officials.”
Chief Federico strongly denied allegations Thursday that administrative disciplinary actions taken against union members have been anything more than unfortunate coincidences.
”That’s absolutely untrue,” he said. “It has nothing to do with that.”
Though he acknowledged “several past incidents” involving disciplinary actions against officers in the union, Chief Federico said “the results of the past charges speak for themselves.”
He said the officers currently under investigation are on paid suspension and are not coming in to work, and noted that the administrative charges have been stayed pending the criminal investigation.
The decision to suspend the officers was made after consultation with the Prosecutor’s Office, which recommended the action, Chief Federico said, noting that the charges could result in the officers losing their jobs.
Assistant Prosecutor Angelo Onofri, a spokesman for the office, declined comment on the prosecutor’s involvement with the case, saying only that “we’re looking into the matter.”
Mr. Mets, meanwhile, has requested that the officers be reinstated.
”There is no basis for suspending them at this point,” he said, noting that PERC has not yet held a hearing on the dispute.
Mr. Ryan said that while the state PBA usually stays away from local issues, it became involved because PBA 130 “made a pretty compelling argument to us that it’s more than one incident.”
He added, “It’s definitely escalating. The number of disciplinary actions that we’ve seen through this chief is not proportional to other police departments.”
The case will likely lead to litigation, he said.
For now, Chief Federico said he has named two “acting supervisors,” to replace the suspended officers, and said he had to reassign three members of the recently reformed, five-member Community Service Unit.
He said he is concerned about the morale in the 34-member department.
”It’s always a difficult thing when you have two supervisors and a senior patrolman that are suspended under these circumstances,” he said. “I’d like it to be resolved as quickly as possible, but we’re at the mercy of the courts right now.”
