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Civilian director ordinance passes first reading
(by Daniel O'Keefe - February 27, 2008)
The mayor and council voted 3-2 last night on the first reading of an ordinance to eliminate the rank of police chief and replace it with a civilian police director. Council members John Genovesi, Rose Inguanti and John Sasso voted in favor of the ordinance while Maura Keyes and Joe Sommer voted against it. Councilman George Fecanin was absent.
For the third meeting in a row, representatives from the Rutherford Police Department and from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACP) spoke against the ordinance. Mitchell Sklar, executive director of the NJSACP, claimed the ordinance as currently written violates the law by granting a civilian undue supervisory powers over the police.
The council added two amendments to the ordinance: one to have the director evaluated on an annual basis and the other to appoint a commission to determine the effectiveness of the position itself after a period of two years.
The ordinance needs to pass its second reading at the March 25 meeting before it takes effect.
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