Police case vexes Borough

Several Borough Council members noted their frustration with the pace of the investigation in the cases involving three Princeton Borough Police Department officers at last week’s council meeting, citing the financial burden of keeping three officers on the Borough’s payroll in the interim.

“This is a big fiscal problem here. We’re a small town,” Councilman Andrew Koontz said. “Our total budget is $23 million. This is a large percentage of our budget.”

Last month, Sgt. Kenneth Riley, a 17-year veteran of the force, was charged with two counts of third-degree computer criminal activity, two counts of third-degree unlawful access and disclosure of computer data, and two counts of second-degree official misconduct. Riley, who plans to plead not guilty, is accused of accessing recordings made by a Mobile Vision Recorder and sharing the recordings with two other Borough Police officers, Sgt. Kevin Creegan and Patrol Officer William Perez, without having appropriate authorization.

The three officers were suspended last February, but Riley is the only one who has been indicted.

Doris Galuchie, the deputy first assistant prosecutor who presented Riley’s case to the grand jury that handed down the indictment, said she understands the Borough’s frustration.

“I’ve been doing this for 19 years, and a criminal case has never been finished [very quickly],” Galuchie said. “This was a matter presented to a grand jury over eight weeks. This matter was handled rather expeditiously.” Grand juries generally meet once per week.

Galuchie also noted that she has been in contact with the Borough Police, which to her knowledge has been updating members of the Borough Council, and said she regards this case as a “speedier indictment” than the norm. She added that she believes the council members are not familiar with the timeframe for a case of this nature.

Borough Councilman Roger Martindell, however, said it was “outrageous” and noted that the amount spent on the officers’ salaries could have “hired not one but two prosecutors, and it would have been resolved faster.”

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Borough labor attorney Arthur Thibault, however, noted that Galuchie’s timeframe assessment is accurate. Unlike a regular grand jury case, he said, Riley’s case first requires a detailed investigation by the prosecutor’s office.

“I’ve seen other counties where charges have been leveled [and where cases] go longer than eight months,” Thibault said.

In addition to the financial loss of paying three inactive officers, each of whom Martindell estimates earns more than $100,000 per year, council members voiced concern over the 10 percent reduction of the police force as a result of the suspensions, Councilman Kevin Wilkes ’83 said.

Neither Borough Police Lt. David Dudeck nor Police Chief Anthony Federico could be reached for comment.

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The short staffing has resulted in the need for active officers to work overtime to ensure complete coverage of the Borough, Koontz explained, adding that because the three officers are still officially employed by the police, the Borough Council, which approves hiring, has not been able to replace them.

While the prosecutor’s office is still investigating the Perez case and expects to reach a decision by the end of this week on whether seeking an indictment is appropriate, it recently turned Creegan’s case over to the Borough because it determined that the case calls for an administrative and not a criminal investigation, Galuchie said.

Thibault said that he will negotiate a date with Creegan’s attorney in November for a disciplinary hearing regarding the charges made by the police department, which is currently finishing its internal administrative investigation. Thibault said he expects that if Creegan is found guilty, the Borough may seek reimbursement for the pay Creegan received while suspended. According to state law, Creegan will be required to reimburse the Borough for wages earned during his suspension if convicted.

Thibault added that while Creegan could face fines or demotion if found guilty, Riley could face jail time if convicted.

In the meantime, Koontz and Martindell proposed at the last council meeting that the two officers still under investigation be assigned to non-police work, such as desk duty, or reassigned to the public works department.

“Something’s better than them staying at home,” Koontz said. “They’re paid to, I don’t know, watch TV and eat potato chips?”

Koontz said that he and Martindell have spoken to the Borough’s legal counsel and requested that they look into work that Perez and Creegan could do in the interim.

Additionally, Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman has reached out to the prosecutor’s office to address the timeframe of the indictments. Galuchie said that she has received a letter from Trotman and plans to respond soon.

“I feel for her. I understand they don’t want to pay officers,” she said. She noted, however, that it was the Borough’s and not the prosecutor’s decision to suspend the officers.

Martindell, who is an attorney, said that he would like to see the prosecutor’s office send a representative to a Borough Council meeting to explain why the investigation has taken so long. “It should be a priority, but it hasn’t been treated like one,” Martindell said. “We’ve been flaccid, passive and all too cavalier with the taxpayers’ money, and that should end.”