'We all need to speak up': Activists seek action after monitor named for Asbury Park cops

ASBURY PARK - For some community activists in Asbury Park, the news that the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office had installed an on-site monitor to keep track of internal affairs complaints in the city's police department was a long time coming.

"In a small town, if there are internal issues, then how does it fare for regular citizens' relationships with the police?" asked Tracy Rogers, one of the founders of the Asbury Park Affordable Housing Coalition. "We need to all speak up and address these issues head on."

Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced the decision Friday, saying the monitor will report directly to the prosecutor's office, unimpeded by the leadership of the city police department, who have been subject to criticism and lawsuits. "In fact, they (police leaders) are cooperating to ensure that the monitor is able to do so without interference," he said.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that the Asbury Park administration, especially the mayor and council, are working very closely with the prosecutor's office, so it is a team effort," Mayor John Moor said.

Felicia Simmons, a lifelong Asbury Park resident and community activist who serves as president of the Westside Community Center Renovation Association, said she is "glad to see this happening."

"I remember having a conversation with the (state) Attorney General's office once when they informed me that there had been no internal affairs complaints. And it shocked me because I had believed I filed one for a client," Simmons said.

She added that "there are a lot of great cops in Asbury Park and they need to have the support to be great and the people of the community deserve it."

Rev. Semaj Y. Vanzant Sr., the founder of Encounter Christ Global Fellowship and director of Relationship Management at Interfaith Neighbors, also serves as chaplain for the Asbury Park Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

He told the Press that "as a pastor and leader in the community, I have become the default liaison for information between law enforcement and the community. However, it is not an official role.

"Unfortunately, this longstanding issue has plagued the APPD for years, extending beyond the tenures of various police chiefs. Asbury Park eagerly anticipates a chief who will transform its culture and guide it toward a path where not only the citizens of Asbury Park are served in a fair and consistent manner, but also the dedicated law enforcement personnel serving this community," Vanzant said.

The move follows years of discrimination lawsuits against the police department under Police Chief David Kelso.

Over the last 10 years, five suits against the city have been settled in which race discrimination claims, among others, were asserted, costing the city about $1.9 million totals in defense and settlement costs, city officials say.

There are other lawsuits filed against the police department for racial discrimination currently in the discovery process.

Lt. Kamil Warraich, the highest ranking officer of color in the Asbury Park Police Department and president of the Fraternal Order of Police #221, filed a lawsuit in 2020 that described years of mistreatment and a rigged internal affairs system within the department.

"We welcome Prosecutor Santiago placing a monitor in the Asbury Park Police Department. He has taken more action than any of his predecessors. However, I would be lying if I said that I am even cautiously optimistic because even though we have a new prosecutor, the people investigating the complaints on his behalf are the same who in the past have covered up for Chief Kelso, Deputy Chief Guy Thompson, another high-ranking officer and the Internal Affairs Unit," Warraich said.

He said there are long-standing ties between personnel from both the police department and the prosecutor's office, causing conflicts of interest.

"To cleanse out the deep-rooted corruption in APPD, the prosecutor will have to make some tough decisions starting with his own investigative personnel. And only then can we expect fair and impartial investigations," Warraich said.

He added that Asbury Park officers, including some of the highest-ranking, are "terrified" to come forward to report misconduct involving department leadership.

"We have all seen confidential complaints get leaked by (the prosecutor's office) in the past. Officers in the department don't believe anything will ever change in APPD. This is the reason why so many officers have confided in me to report misconduct because they know I won't put them in a compromising position even if (the prosecutor's office) puts the pressure on me," Warraich said.

"APPD officers deserve better leadership and working conditions free of the toxicity and the racism running rampant in the department by the higher ranks," he said. "What has gotten us all in this internal turmoil is caused by the highest-ranking officers in the agency worrying more about consolidating their power through the pursuit of their own petty and retaliatory agendas.

"These conditions will never change and in fact only get worse," he continued, "if the powers that be, such as the city officials and the prosecutor's office, don't put an immediate end to it by holding the leadership accountable first in a timely manner."

Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. @CharlesDayeAPP Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Park activists seek action after monitor tapped for police