EDISON — Edison Mayor Antonia Ricigliano met with Middlesex County Acting Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey last week to discuss “relevant issues” surrounding the Edison Police Department.
Both parties confirmed the meeting that occurred June 5, but they did not specify what was discussed.
Ricigliano said she asked for the meeting after the arrest of Michael A. Dotro, a nineyear veteran of the police force. He is accused of setting fire to the Monroe home of his superior officer, police Capt. Mark Anderko, on May 20.
Dotro is currently suspended from his job with pay, according to authorities.
Anderko, his wife, two children and his 92-year-old mother were at home at the time of the fire, but they were not injured.
Ricigliano also confirmed that an Edison patrolman was charged with driving while intoxicated on June 1. However, repeated attempts to contact Police Chief Thomas Bryan went unanswered. A person at the department said Bryan was the only person who could speak in regards to the charges.
It was reported that Bryan sent his own letter to Carey to ask for outside oversight. However, Bryan did not respond to inquiries regarding the letter.
James O’Neill, public information officer for the prosecutor’s office, said the office is not permitted to disclose information about inter-office communications among law enforcement agencies.
Ricigliano said she read in a newspaper article that Bryan had sent a letter to the prosecutor’s office. She said she sent a memo to the police chief on June 6 requesting additional information regarding the letter. Ricigliano said she received a response on June 7, but she declined to provide details about that response.
Carey said in a statement that since the beginning of this year, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office has been working closely with the state Attorney General’s Office to monitor the internal affairs functions of the Edison Police Department.
“This system has resulted in positive and beneficial results,” he said.
Carey noted that Ricigliano is aware that her office is not allowed to get involved in the day-to-day operations of the Edison Police Department.
Bryan, who previously was the head of the Internal Affairs Unit for the department, has said he is actively working to reform the department.
Appointed chief by then-Mayor Jun Choi in 2009 to oversee the 168-member force, Bryan said that at some levels there are people working against him and his efforts to reform the department.
In March, the state Assembly approved a bill that would turn over control of Edison’s internal affairs investigations to the attorney general. The bill was co-sponsored by former Edison Councilman and current Assemblyman Peter Barnes III (D-Middlesex) and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (DBergen).
Barnes said that since there have long been allegations of political retaliation and whitewashing within the Edison Police Department, he moved forward with the bill.