Police Accountability Project of the
New Jersey Libertarian Party
P.O. Box 5424
Somerset, NJ 08875
October 1, 2014
Paul Morrison, Chief
Roselle Park Police Department
110 East Westfield Avenue
Roselle Park, NJ 07204
via e-mail only to pmorrison@rosellepark.net
Dear Chief Morrison:
I chair the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Police Accountability Project and ask that you accept this e-mail as our Internal Affairs complaint. I am forwarding this complaint to you, as Chief of Police, because there is nothing on your web site identifying the person within your Department to whom an Internal Affairs complaint should be directed.
We would like your agency to investigate whether Officers Alexander Lanza, Gregory Polakoski, Vathianakis Kostantinos, Peter Picarelli and Michael Bell (as well as any other officers and personnel employed by your agency) acted in accordance with department policy and the law regarding a December 9, 2012 search of 27 W Roselle Avenue, Apt D.
According to the notice of claim filed by the recipients of a $35,000 settlement (on-line here), the officers lied to the occupants by telling them that they had a search warrant when they actually did not. This alleged lie caused the occupants to allow the officers entry that had previously been denied to them. The claim notices allege that the lie is captured by an audio/video recording of the event.
We ask that you investigate and determine whether these officers lied about a warrant or otherwise conducted an illegal search of the residence. If you find that an illegal search was conducted or that a lie was told despite these officers having received adequate training and direction regarding searches, we ask that you discipline them. If the claims' allegations are true and your officers were not adequately trained regarding searches, we ask that your department review and supplement your training requirements in this area of the law. Of course, if the claims's allegations are untrue, we ask that you please notify us that this complaint is unfounded.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very truly yours,
John Paff, Chairman
New Jersey Libertarian Party
Police Accountability Project
P.O. Box 5424
Somerset, NJ 08875-5424
Phone: 732-873-1251 - Fax: 908-325-0129
E-mail: paff@pobox.com
--Subsequent action
10/13/14 - We complained to Prosecutor about handling of the complaint. Click here.