Morristown police celebrate accreditation, amidst political turbulence

Mayor Tim Dougherty, right, hands accreditation plaque to Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran Jr., May 6, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Morristown’s police bureau complies with more than 100 state, national and international policing standards, according to the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

An association official on Thursday congratulated town police for achieving accreditation, despite the pandemic.

Speaking outside the historic Morris County Courthouse, Harry Delgado praised Morristown officers as “forward-thinking” and committed to self-improvement, and said fewer than half of the state’s 570 law enforcement agencies have pursued this certification.

“It’s a very rigorous process…designed to enhance professionalism and transparency in the public safety system,” he said.

Harry Delgado of the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police Association commends Morristown police for achieving accreditation, May 6, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

There were kudos from Acting Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Sheriff James Gannon.  Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran Jr. said it was a two-year journey.

“I’m extremely proud of each and every individual in our department for getting us to where we need to be,” said Corcoran.

The bureau’s new status holds police accountable to all “who live, work or visit the great town of Morristown,” he said, singling out Mayor Tim Dougherty, Acting Police Chief Darnell Richardson and Lt. Keith Cregan for special thanks.

TURBULENT TIMES
Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran Jr. made accreditation a priority when he was hired in 2018. He spoke on May 6, 2021, at a ceremony marking the certification. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Corcoran cited accreditation as a priority when he was hired in 2018. That was a turbulent time for the police bureau, and the accreditation process has not calmed things much.

The police union has adopted hardball tactics in opposing a fourth re-election bid by Mayor Tim Dougherty.

Union leadership has accused his administration of pushing ticket quotas to bolster municipal finances during the pandemic. Officers who balked were punished with late-night foot patrols, the union alleged.

Dougherty has denied that; he says PBA Local 43 is spreading falsehoods as a negotiating ploy. Police are working without a contract this year.

The union also filed a grievance charging the town with dragging its feet on appointing a police chief. Richardson, the town’s first African American to serve as acting chief, has filled that role since 2018.

A chief’s test has been scheduled for September, the state Civil Service Commission confirmed on Thursday.

Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran Jr. holds accreditation plaque. Joining him, from left: Mayor Tim Dougherty, Capt. Stuart Greer, Capt. Michael Andrisano, Town Administrator Jillian Barrick, Fire Chief Robert Flanagan, Capt. Michael Buckley, May 6, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Accreditation does not address matters pertaining to politics, Delgado told Morristown Green.

Town hall does not interfere with the chief’s running of the bureau, according to  Corcoran. He described Richardson as “the finest law enforcement leader I’ve had the privilege of working with in my 30-year career.” He also lauded three captains who could vie for chief as “the best and brightest command staff.”

Richardson and Cregan did not attend Thursday’s event. Corcoran read a short statement from the acting chief expressing pride in the bureau’s achievement.

As for the propriety of police taking sides in mayoral campaigns, the public safety director said, “you have to ask them about that. I don’t have an opinion on that either way.”

The accreditation became official in March. Asked if politics factored into Thursday’s ceremony– just weeks before the June 8 Democratic primary, where Dougherty faces a challenge from Esperanza Porras-Field–Corcoran replied: “Absolutely not.”

A Zoom presentation had been contemplated for a town council meeting last month, Corcoran said, but the celebration was pushed forward so Delgado could attend in person.

As it was, the ceremony was staged blocks away from town hall–and the police station–before a handful of senior officers and town officials. They included Administrator Jillian Barrick, town Attorney Vij Pawar, Councilwoman Sandi Mayer and Fire Chief Robert Flanagan.

 

STANDARDS AND SIGNS

Accreditation covers the use of force, recruitment, training, discipline, internal affairs, criminal investigations and promotions, victim and witness assistance, traffic operations, and collection and preservation of evidence, among other standards.

Police departments analyze themselves for compliance, which then is verified by assessors from the chiefs association. Accredited law enforcement agencies must seek re-accreditation every three years, according to the association website.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and police departments in Morris Township, Morris Plains and Florham Park are among accredited local agencies.

Morris County Acting Prosecutor Robert Carroll congratulates Morristown police, as Captains Michael Andrisano, Stuart Greer and Michael Buckley listen, May 6, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Dougherty, during brief remarks on Thursday, said this designation should help improve police relations with the community, and also reduce the bureau’s exposure to lawsuits.

The goal is to promote “comprehensive and effective leadership… based on standards that reflect professional best practices,” the association says on its site.

While being accredited is a good thing, “it doesn’t change a lot for our patrol people,” PBA Local 43 President Dennis Bergman told Morristown Green.

A digital sign, endorsed by the Morristown PBA, raps development under the Dougherty administration, April 1, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

A truck endorsed by the union has parked downtown, displaying digital signs calling for the mayor’s ouster and also blasting his wife, who received probation for falsifying a finance report during her failed bid for Morris County Commissioner.

Bergman said the union’s opposition to the mayor is unrelated to the police contract, which he anticipates will go to arbitration.

He also said the PBA push for a chief’s test is no knock against Richardson, the acting chief.

“The membership is upset about the town’s violation of the process,” Bergman said.

Richardson was named acting chief when Chief Pete Demnitz was placed on paid leave in 2018, and he continued in that position after Demnitz retired in 2019.

A parade of officers had gone to the witness stand in a courtroom drama that saw an officer successfully argue that he was demoted for questioning Demnitz’ side jobs.

In a separate lawsuit, Capt. Michael Buckley claimed he suffered “public humiliation” when he was bypassed for acting chief, a role he had served in the past.

Buckley is one of four captains–along with Stuart Greer, Michael Andrisano and Richardson–eligible to take the chief’s test in September.  According to the Civil Service Commission, the town can promote any of the top three finishers to chief.

Morris County Sheriff James Gannon tells Morristown police they have achieved ‘gold standard’ accreditation, May 6, 2021, outside the Morris County Courthouse. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

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