Group of Palisades Park residents demand action after report on Police Department issues

Liam Quinn, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

A local group is planning a rally in front of Borough Hall on Saturday after a Bergen County Prosecutor's Office report found that the Palisades Park Police Department is plagued with political influence.

The group, TEAM Palisades Park, describes itself as a nonpartisan organization seeking to free the Police Department from what it says is the "leash of a Democratic political boss."

The Prosecutor's Office found Borough Administrator David Lorenzo's "persistent interference" in the running of the Police Department "improper and highly distracting" to its leadership. TEAM Palisades Park's rally is set to protest Lorenzo's interference.

"The town needs to be run by its elected officials," TEAM Palisades Park said in a statement, "not a political boss."

A representative from the group could not be reached for further comment.

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The goal of the rally will be to demand action from Mayor Paul Kim and the rest of the council. Kim was elected mayor in 2022, defeating incumbent Chris Chung in the Democratic primary, before edging out Stephanie Jang in a contentious November election.

The Palisades Park Police Department faced a number of issues in 2022. Among them were a lawsuit that was settled, three new lawsuits and a tort notice filed internally by officers, and a prisoner escape that led to an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. And though no criminal charges were filed, the former officer in charge, Capt. Shawn Lee, retired as part of a settlement agreement and Lt. Alessandro Monteleone resigned.

The department has been led by an officer in charge since Chief Mark Jackson retired in 2019 amid his own controversy after a scathing report that outlined deficiencies in the department. The department has had five chiefs and numerous issues, including suspensions, lawsuits and infighting.

The rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Palisades Park NJ rally demands changes to Police Department