Bloomfield Police Department (New Jersey)

Bloomfield Police Department
Abbreviation BPD
Agency overview
Employees 122
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* Township of Bloomfield in the state of New Jersey, USA
Size 5.328 square miles (13.80 km2)
Population 47,575
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Bloomfield, New Jersey
Agency executive James Behre, Chief of Police (Acting)
Website
www.bloomfieldpdnj.com
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Bloomfield Police Department (BPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It consists of 122 police officers.[1]

Location

The department is headquartered in its own building at 1 Municipal Plaza.

Website:- www.bloomfieldpdnj.com

Organization

The department is administered through a number of divisions, bureaux and units.

The officers of the department are represented in labor negotiations by Local 32 of the Police Benevolent Association.[2]

History

In July 2010, Officer Bruce Calkin required hospitalization after being injured in a fight in the department's parking lot with a fellow officer.[3]

In December 2013, a number of police officers sued the department. They claimed they had been suspended because they were in the military reserves. The department in turn claimed the officers were falsely excusing their absences from work as being required by military service.[4]

On 10 February 2014, Acting Police Chief James Behre publicly claimed a city councilman asked him to advance the careers of two particular policemen in exchange for support in becoming the permanent police chief. Two days later Behre was put on paid administrative leave pending a "fitness for duty" review.[5][6]

In 2012, Marcus Jeter was arrested for eluding police and resisting arrest and assault. In 2014, Marcus Jeter was cleared of all charges because of a police dashcam video which had not been given to the prosecution.[7] Bloomfield officers Orlando Trinidad and Sean Courter have been charged with official misconduct, tampering with public records, and false documents and false swearing, while a third officer (Albert Sutterlin) was allowed to retire after pleading guilty to tampering with evidence. Trinidad and Courter have been suspended without pay.[8] In 2012, when the incident happened, the internal affairs department exonerated both officers. Trinidad maintains he was in the right, even though the footage shows otherwise.[9] The mayor vowed to purge the police department of bad police officers after this incident [10] On January 13, 2015, Superior Court Judge Michael Ravin denied a motion to dismiss the charges against the officers. Under a plea deal offered by the prosecution, Trinidad and Courter would have to spend five years in state prison.[11] In June 2015, the trial was postponed to resume October 5. [12] On November 5, 2015, the jury found Orlando Trinidad and Sean Courter guilty of official misconduct, conspiracy to commit official misconduct, tampering with public records, falsifying or tampering with records and false swearing. Orlando Trinidad was also found guilty of a lesser charge of simple assault.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Official BPD website retrieved 14 February 2014
  2. ↑ PBA Local 32 website accessed 14 February 2014
  3. ↑ Brawl pits two BPD officers against each other by Jeff Frankel, 19 July 2010, Bloomfield Life
  4. ↑ Police Suspension for Military Service Unfair, Bloomfield Officers Say;Patrol officers Michael McCracken and Hector Cartagena have been suspended without pay since Dec. 4, by Adam Bulger (Editor) , 22 December 22, 2013, Bloomfield Patch
  5. ↑ Bloomfield acting police chief placed on paid leave after speaking out at council meeting, by Eunice Lee, 12 February 2014, The Star-Ledger
  6. ↑ Allegations By Bloomfield’s Police Chief Are Troubling, by Bob Holt, 13 February 2014, newjerseynewsroom.com
  7. ↑ http://abc7ny.com/archive/9440401/
  8. ↑ http://rollingout.com/2014/02/26/cops-tried-frame-black-man-go-nj/
  9. ↑ http://abc7ny.com/archive/9446825/
  10. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/02/bloomfield_mayor_alleges_cover_up_in_dashboard-cam_indicment_vows_to_purge_police_department_of_bad.html
  11. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/01/bloomfield_cops_lose_bid_to_dismiss_official_misco.html
  12. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/07/trial_delayed_for_bloomfield_cops_in_dash-cam_case.html
  13. ↑ http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2015/11/cops_found_guilty_of_official_misconduct_for_false.html
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