Ridgewood chief asks Bergen County prosecutor to investigate attempt to hire two police officers
Monday, February 3, 2014 Last updated: Monday February 3, 2014, 5:24 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — The village police chief wants the county prosecutor to assess his decision to extend conditional job offers to two candidates, even though it exceeded the number of patrol officers allowed on the force.
Police Chief John Ward said he made the request last Thursday — the morning after he appeared before the Village Council to support a retroactive amendment to the code, boosting the number of officers to 32. Currently, the department can only have 30 patrol officers.
Ward extended offers of employment to two Ridgewood residents on Jan. 17; both men are related to current or retired officers, and were supposed to start police academy training last week.
“I requested the investigation to reassure the community, so they know they can still have faith in the department and my actions,” Ward said Monday, adding that he also reached out to his department’s own internal affairs officers to initiate an inquiry.
