By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
Some Borough Council members want the council to become more involved in the Police Department’s disciplinary and promotional process, but Police Chief Anthony Federico said Wednesday that they cannot legally do so.
Borough Councilman Roger Martindell, speaking after an executive session on police matters at the start of Tuesday’s Borough Council meeting, said he and his colleagues should have exercised more oversight during the disciplinary process regarding Sgt. Kevin Creegan, who recently resigned from the department following a yearlong suspension.
The councilman noted Sgt. Creegan kept the $120,000 he earned over the course of his suspension because of the settlement in which the borough waived any right to try and recoup the money.
More oversight by the council could have saved taxpayer dollars, Mr. Martindell has said.
Chief Federico, however, said state regulations and associated borough ordinances prevent municipal officers from getting involved in internal police matters. The police chief has “complete authority over the technical operations of the department” including administering, enforcing the rules, and disciplining the force, Chief Federico said, reading the ordinance.
”They can’t,” said Chief Federico, about municipal officers involving themselves in such matters.
Mr. Martindell has also said the borough spent money unnecessarily to retain a special counsel and a hearing officer, and that the settlement meant the council waived any right to review the Police Department’s internal review process or recoup Sgt. Creegan’s salary.
”We gave up a fair amount of value,” Mr. Martindell said Tuesday.
Also, the council’s involvement in the process through actually reviewing charges brought against Sgt. Creegan “would have been useful” for similar situations in the future, according to Mr. Martindell.
Sgt. Creegan was one of three borough officers who were suspended with pay in February of 2008. The other two officers were Sgt. Kenneth Riley and Patrolman William Perez.
The Mercer County prosecutor’s office indicted Sgt. Riley on six felony charges in September of 2008 for allegedly accessing the police video record database without clearance and showing what he saw to other officers.
The borough stopped paying Sgt. Riley at that time. However, the prosecutor’s office declined to indict Sgt. Creegan, whose case went back to the borough for the administrative proceeding that was subsequently settled.
Mr. Perez resigned in mid-December, according to police.

