MANVILLE: Borough Council hears complaint about cops’ actions

By Audrey Levine,Staff Writer
But chief says the meetings aren’t the place to complain
   A resident’s comments about the work of some Manville police officers drew a sharp response from Manville Police Chief Mark Peltack at the Jan. 26 Borough Council meeting.
   Roosevelt Avenue resident Titus Tarnovetchi expressed a concern about police handling of an accident on his property when a woman drove her car into his porch. He questioned the work of the officers, saying the subsequent police report was wrong and that some of the officers had been rude to him in dealing with the incident.
   ”The police were not helpful and not courteous,” he said. “Something has to be done.”
   In response to Mr. Tarnovetchi’s comments, Chief Peltack said speaking before the Borough Council was not the appropriate way to handle the situation.
   ”If a person feels he or she has been treated unfairly, that person can come in and speak to the officer,” Chief Peltack said in a separate interview. “If he thought there was something inappropriate, he could go to Internal Affairs.”
   Chief Peltack said he was disappointed that Mr. Tarnovetchi made some “off the wall” comments about the officers.
   ”There is nobody here to refute (your claims),” Chief Peltack said at the meeting. “If you think there was wrongdoing by my officers, see Internal Affairs to be fully investigated.”
   When an accident occurs, Chief Peltack said in a separate interview, an officer will speak to all people involved to get versions of the story from everyone.
   ”Then the officer will document everything on paper,” he said. “If there is a collision, an investigation has to be done.”
   If there are any questions about the report at a later date, Chief Peltack said, those involved are welcome to seek out the officer at the Police Department to discuss the situation.
   ”Accident reports can be changed,” he said. “Mostly, the officers will explain what they did in the report.”
   For example, in terms of the report, the officer at the scene wrote that the driver of the vehicle had skidded on ice, but Mr. Tarnovetchi said during the meeting there was no ice there — he had pictures he’d taken that he said proved there wasn’t any ice.
   No matter what the concerns, Chief Peltack said, the best thing to do would be to speak directly to the officer if there are problems with the police report.
   ”If there is a clarification needed, it would be a benefit to speak to the officer,” he said. “If someone feels wronged, they go to Internal Affairs.”
   Although complaints about accident reports and treatment by officers are not common, Chief Peltack said, they do happen occasionally, and they are always treated seriously. He said the Police Department follows strict attorney general rules, and no concerns are simply “blown off.”
   ”We don’t take these things lightly,” he said. “We investigate everything fully.”