from Facebook, Left to Right: Mayor Douglas J. Christie, Township Committeeman Kevin J. Rooney, Officer Christopher, Township Committeemen Brian D. Scanlan, Haakon Jepsen, Rudy Boonstra and Benjamin C. Fox, Chief of Police.
BY STEFANIE DAZIO, STEVE JANOSKI AND JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
The Wyckoff police chief agreed to temporarily step aside Tuesday night while the state Attorney General’s Office conducts an investigation into a complaint that an email he wrote to his officers in 2014 condones racial profiling.
The email, written by Chief Benjamin C. Fox, was anonymously sent to the New Jersey branch of the American Civil Liberties Union last week, according to a statement from the organization.
The ACLU said that, if the email was found to be genuine, authorities should “fire Fox, retrain officers, and conduct audits for both racially biased policing and use of force.”
Document: Copy of the email provided by the ACLU (PDF)
Wyckoff officials were made aware of the email on Tuesday, a township press release said, and engaged in a “series of discussions” on the matter with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Township Committee convened an emergency meeting Tuesday night to address it.
Fox, who was present at the meeting, asked to go on immediate administrative leave while the investigation was pending, the release said, because he felt it was in the “best interest of the department since it would avoid unnecessary distractions.” It would also give Fox the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office and “explain the contents of his email and demonstrate that neither he nor our police department has ever condoned or engaged in profiling.”
The committee unanimously agreed to the request.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/wyckoff-police-chief-to-step-aside-in-racial-inquiry-1.1531382
read the email before you comment.
He said what we are not allowed to say anymore. I agree with him.
Wish he was our chief! Political correctness shouldn’t replace common sense.
Too bad he’s not Secretary of State… then he can do anything he wants with his email without fear of repercussion…
I’m with the chief. He spoke factually ,glad to support him, he keeps the residents safe,
Read the article about the email and you will realize that the police will only have a truly free hand in stopping and questioning strangers if residents call the police and tell them that the person looks suspicious. Moral of the Story: Do not refrain from reporting suspicious-looking strangers lurking in your neighborhood for fear of being criticized or characterized as a racist!
I would like to know who sent the email to the aclu sounds like someone is lookil