Listen: Englewood Cliffs Top Cop Said He'd Like To Kill Official

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ — Chief of Police Michael Cioffi has come under fire for recording himself saying he would like to kill the borough council president.

Council President Carrol McMorrow played at a special mayor and council meeting Wednesday one of 120 tapes Cioffi allegedly made of himself.

"I'd like to kill her, but I can't do that," Cioffi said on the recording at about the 7:30 mark. "She is one hell of a b----."

McMorrow got down off the dias, addressed the council during the public portion of the meeting, and played the tape.

NJ.com published a recording of the remarks on the tape that McMorrow played at the meeting.

Here is audio of the alleged remarks:

McMorrow acquired the tape during the discovery phase of a lawsuit Cioffi brought against the borough. It was not marked confidential.

McMorrow said during the meeting that Cioffi made the tape on Jan. 4, 2017 while speaking to a borough employee. A woman can be heard on the recording laughing. (McMorrow can be heard on the tape beginning at about the 10:30 mark in a video of the meeting.)

"I'm playing it here for you tonight so you can have an idea of what these tapes are like," McMorrow said. "There are other tapes with content equally disturbing to this if not worse. The conversation on this tape is between Chief Cioffi and borough employees."

Cioffi did not respond to an email or a phone call seeking comment Monday.

McMorrow said Cioffi "has long had a disdain" for her because of her political beliefs and for "my speaking out for what I believe is right.

"These remarks are highly inappropriate and distressing coming from any public employee let alone the chief of police who is permitted to carry a firearm and directs the operations of the Police Department," McMorrow said in a statement to Patch.

Mayor Mario Kranjac said during the meeting that Cioffi made the tapes "during work time" using a borough-owned tape recorder, which he was slow to return to the borough.

Kranjac demanded the recorder back in writing three times and the borough administrator demanded it as well. Kranjac filed criminal charges against Cioffi to get it back.

"It's always important to look at things objectively, which I've always tried to do with these tapes, as hurtful as they are," Kranjac said. "I do want everyone to hear these tapes because I think it is important to know that the truth is rooted in facts and consciousness, and we have facts now."

Kranjac also spoke about why he thought Cioffi would make the tapes.

"In most reasonable people's minds, it makes no sense," Kranjac said. "But he did it and he turned them over."

Cioffi is suing the mayor for allegedly going beyond his powers for forcing him to use his banked vacation time rather than having the borough pay out about $300,000 when he retires, according to an NJ.com article. McMorrow also sued Cioffi for retaliation in December 2017. Her husband is the former deputy chief of the Englewood Police Department.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Image: YouTube screenshot