Township counts costs following police probe

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office seized control of the Township police department on Oct. 1 while it conducted a corruption investigation against former police Chief Mark Emann and two other officers. In January, more than three months after the takeover, Emann pleaded not guilty to a charge that he stole a department-owned antique M-16 assault rifle and traded it for guns for his personal use. The guns were valued at $2,400.

Emann retired and made an agreement with the prosecutor’s office that precluded criminal prosecution. Lieutenant Michael Henderson and Corporal Arthur Villaruz were also implicated and retired, but they were not charged criminally.

As part of the agreement with the prosecutor’s office, Emann must return one gun and pay restitution for the other. But Township officials are concerned that taxpayers had to pay the three officers’ salaries while they were on leave and now must pay for the department to train more officers and promote internally.

The Township was required by state law to pay the officers while they were on administrative leave, a cost that totaled $83,025, according to Carol Colquhoun, the Township’s human resources manager. And if the Township chooses to hire three replacement officers, equipping them will cost around $10,000, Colquhoun said, citing information provided by police captain Robert Buchanan.

“What led to the impact on the Township was a $2,400 misstep by the chief and two other officers at the department and ended up costing the Township ... over $100,000,” said former mayor and Township committee member Bernie Miller. “It just doesn’t balance out,” he added.

Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, declined to comment on the criticism.

Despite the cost of the investigation, however, the Township will likely save money in the short term.

New officers that are hired would likely come from the bottom of the ranks, Miller said. The starting base salary for an officer in 2010 was $48,500, according to the Township. Therefore, the Township will likely save money because the starting salary is a significant difference from Emann’s 2010 salary of $156,832, Henderson’s salary of $135,200 and Villaruz’s salary of $100,976.

Officers that are promoted within the ranks would receive additional pay, but that number has yet to be determined, Colquhoun said. Additional work created by the absence of the three officers was handled by overtime-exempt officers.

Overall, “I would expect to realize some short-term savings,” said Township Mayor Chad Goerner. “I think that, from our standpoint, we’re just glad that it’s over.”

Township officials also criticized the prosecutor’s office for its procedural handling of the investigation.

“The matter was handled entirely within the prosecutor’s office and the Township committee was never a part of the process, other than the fact that we were notified by the prosecutor’s office that they were taking over our department,” said Miller, who was mayor at the time of the takeover.

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Aside from a press release, Miller said, “the Township was never fully aware of what the charges were.”

Nevertheless, a Township subcommittee will meet on Thursday to discuss the future of the department’s leadership, including whether it should formally have a chief, Miller said.

“We could go all the way from naming a chief to indicating that the captain is the senior officer in charge,” Miller said.

The highest-ranking officer left in the department is Buchanan, a 31-year veteran of the force who was untouched by the County’s probe.

“He’s done an outstanding job of running the department,” Miller said. “I think it’s fair to say all of us have a lot of confidence in his ability.”

Buchanan is also a member of the same subcommittee that will be determining his and the department’s future along with administrator James Pascale, Goerner and Miller. Among their tasks will also be determining if the spots left by the retirements of Henderson and Villaruz would be filled.

The department currently has 27 officers, and Miller said he hoped the department would hire one or two more.

Officials said that during the conversations they will be mindful of the potential for consolidation or shared services with Princeton Borough.

While its leadership was under investigation, the department continued to provide the same level of service to the community, Miller said.

“We’re very proud of our police department during a very difficult three-month period,” he said. Nevertheless, he said, the County’s actions still raise questions.

“Perhaps someday we’ll find out how it was handled,” Miller said.