By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A personnel matter involving Princeton police Chief David J. Dudeck has been turned over to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the town said Monday.
Officials have been adamant about not commenting on the substance of the allegations against the chief, despite leaks from police officers to various news outlets last week.
However, they have been clear the situation is of an administrative nature, not criminal.
”I can’t comment on personnel matters,” said Councilwoman Heather H. Howard, also a member of the town’s public safety committee, on Monday.
The committee, made up of her, Councilman Lance Liverman and Mayor Liz Lempert, met Feb. 26 in the town hall with First Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Doris M. Galuchie, who handles police internal affairs.
It was not immediately clear who requested the meeting. Mr. Bruschi, also part of that roughly 90-minute meeting, said Monday that the discussion was spent less on the allegations and more on the process of what happens going forward.
He said that per state attorney general guidelines, the prosecutor’s office would have to handle any investigation of the chief the outcome of which would be turned over the governing body, whichwould then have to decide if any disciplinary action were warranted.
Mayor Lempert said Monday that the prosecutor’s office is deciding whether to investigate.
Chief Dudeck, who was not accompanied by a lawyer, also attended the meeting. He has not returned phone calls seeking comment, and was not in the office Monday.
Casey A. DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr., said Monday that her office had no comment.
Mr. Bruschi denied that Chief Dudeck, who remains the head of the department, was ever given an ultimatum to retire or make a decision by a certain date. Yet he said the retirement option came up at last week’s meeting, since that would be a way to resolve the matter without the need for an investigation.
As of Friday, a check with the state found that he had not put in for retirement. Chief Dudeck, whose salary is $152,194, according to the town, began working as a borough police officer. He has worked more than enough time to retire with a full pension.
Mr. Dudeck started working for the borough police in 1983. He climbed the ranks to lead the department after the death in 2009 of then-Chief Anthony Federico. In 2012, he was chosen to lead the department of the consolidated Princeton.
In July, he addressed officials to thank them.
”It just blows me away that I should be given this chance and opportunity to be chosen as the first police chief of the new Princeton,” he said at the time.
Mayor Lempert said Chief Dudeck has her confidence.
Aside from the police department, he coaches high school football at the Hun School of Princeton, his alma mater. A spokeswoman for the private school could not be reached for comment Monday.
Princeton has seen a revolving door of police chiefs in the recent past. Last March, township police Chief Robert Buchanan took an agreement to leave the department. Prior to that, township chief Mark Emann left after facing a criminal charge that he traded a police weapon for two weapons for his private use.

