Prospect Park PBA votes no confidence in mayor amid proposal for police director

PROSPECT PARK — The police union has declared a vote of no confidence in the mayor and most of the Borough Council as officials lean toward creating a management role for the small department.

The council majority on Monday introduced an ordinance to establish the position of civilian police director.

Should it pass on its second reading on March 20, the council could then hire a director to maintain relations with the local school, recommend new laws and work with the chief of police to ensure that day-to-day operations are running smoothly.

But members of Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 114 say the proposed role is a needless expense and that hiring a director would cause their morale to sink even lower.

Patrolman Gregory Williams, the union’s president, said he and his fellow officers feel like “pawns of a political play.”

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“We, as the PBA, have now lost all confidence in your ability to support us in the police department moving forward,” he told the governing body. “We’re saddened, disappointed and truly hurt by your decision to implement this obvious power grab.”

The union’s no-confidence vote was against Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, elected in November to a fifth term, and five out of six council members.

Councilman Alaa Matari, a cousin of Chief Ammen Matari and a sergeant in the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, abstained from introducing the ordinance. He was not named in a statement issued by the union this week.

The 19-person department has been “severely understaffed” for two years, and hiring more officers should be the top priority, the union said in the statement.

The borough received a federal grant worth half a million dollars to hire four officers in November 2021, but according to the PBA, the governing body has not used the aid. Now current officers are feeling drained, union members say, while overtime costs are skyrocketing.

“The PBA is aware that the police administration has addressed these issues verbally and in writing to the mayor and the borough administrator countless times to no avail,” the union said.

Officers also expressed concerns of an ulterior motive behind the proposal, alleging that it would fulfill Khairullah’s aim to have unbridled control over the department.

Not only has the mayor allowed a toxic workplace to fester, but union members allege that he caused it.

“Members of the PBA have seen firsthand that Mayor Khairullah only moves swiftly in hiring personnel or promoting personnel of his choice when a political gain is at stake,” the union said.

But even if the director role is created, the mayor said in response, it may not be filled.

“Let’s start there,” Khairullah said at the meeting. “And it does not eliminate the position of police chief.”

The mayor also countered the idea that the proposal benefits his political agenda. “The second I appoint a director, and the council approves it — it takes every single authority I have, and it gives it to that person,” he said.

“So if this is a power grab,” he added, “I’d be out of my mind. At the end of the day, you can be threatened, or you can do the right thing — you can do the right thing for the people, because we need a department where everyone is satisfied.”

In August 1981, then-Gov. Brendan Byrne signed into law what was known as the Police Chiefs’ Responsibility Act. Its purpose was to draw clear lines of authority between civilian appointees and sworn officers. It was lobbied for by chiefs across the state.

The legislation came after the borough of Lodi was criticized by the New Jersey Association of Chiefs of Police for hiring a director to supervise a 27-year veteran.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: PBA in Prospect Park NJ fights plan for civilian director