http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/...ce_chief_over_pro-racial_profiling_email.html
Police Chief Benjamin Fox should be demoted to patrolman and suspended without pay for 180 days for violating the Attorney General's guidelines against racial profiling, township officials have decided.
Fox was the subject of a March 22 ACLU complaint and state investigation after an email surfaced in which the chief stated to subordinates that "profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly."
Benjamin Fox
The email, which the chief sent in 2014, states: "Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods."
The Township Committee voted 5-0 on Tuesday night to immediately suspend Fox and recommend the demotion, Mayor Kevin Rooney said in a statement.
The actions are "based upon the findings of the Attorney General's Office and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office that the statements of Chief Fox explicitly violated the Attorney General guidelines, thereby promoted racially charged policing," Rooney said.
Fox has five days to appeal the decision, the mayor said.
Fox's attorney, Arthur G. Margeotes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rooney called Fox's statements "isolated" and said thanked the members of the police department "who showed tremendous professionalism and poise during the last few months."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/ACLUNJ">@ACLUNJ</a> That's funny, Israel uses it. Hypocrites</p>— Murry Kikstein (@dave1163sag) <a href="">August 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The ACLU released a statement Thursday morning calling for Fox's removal from the police department.
"There is simply no place in New Jersey or anywhere else for racial profiling or bigoted policing, and Chief Fox should be fired," Allison Peltzman, ACLU-NJ spokeswoman, said in a statement.
"Demotion is not enough," Peltzman said. "Wyckoff now has a duty to fire Chief Fox and send a message that anyone who believes racial profiling has a place in law enforcement should not have any position in a New Jersey police department."
Police Chief Benjamin Fox should be demoted to patrolman and suspended without pay for 180 days for violating the Attorney General's guidelines against racial profiling, township officials have decided.
Fox was the subject of a March 22 ACLU complaint and state investigation after an email surfaced in which the chief stated to subordinates that "profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly."
Benjamin Fox
The email, which the chief sent in 2014, states: "Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods."
The Township Committee voted 5-0 on Tuesday night to immediately suspend Fox and recommend the demotion, Mayor Kevin Rooney said in a statement.
The actions are "based upon the findings of the Attorney General's Office and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office that the statements of Chief Fox explicitly violated the Attorney General guidelines, thereby promoted racially charged policing," Rooney said.
Fox has five days to appeal the decision, the mayor said.
Fox's attorney, Arthur G. Margeotes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rooney called Fox's statements "isolated" and said thanked the members of the police department "who showed tremendous professionalism and poise during the last few months."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/ACLUNJ">@ACLUNJ</a> That's funny, Israel uses it. Hypocrites</p>— Murry Kikstein (@dave1163sag) <a href="">August 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The ACLU released a statement Thursday morning calling for Fox's removal from the police department.
"There is simply no place in New Jersey or anywhere else for racial profiling or bigoted policing, and Chief Fox should be fired," Allison Peltzman, ACLU-NJ spokeswoman, said in a statement.
"Demotion is not enough," Peltzman said. "Wyckoff now has a duty to fire Chief Fox and send a message that anyone who believes racial profiling has a place in law enforcement should not have any position in a New Jersey police department."
