Morristown PBA Says Punitive Policy Slowed Accident Response Time

MORRISTOWN, NJ - The latest accusation in an ongoing battle over ticket-writing policies alleges that Morristown foot patrol officers were delayed in assisting other police at a Sunday night crash, according to PBA Local 43 President Dennis Bergman.

The critically injured a 39-year-old pedestrian on Ridgedale Avenue, could have had more assistance on the scene, faster if the officers didn't have to walk a mile to get a vehicle, Bergman said in a social media post.

"There was a near fatal accident where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle. The officer on foot at the Green had to walk to 200 South Street to pick up a vehicle. That’s nearly a mile walk," the post said. "He was then instructed to pick up the other two officers on foot and bring them to headquarters to get into vehicles in order to help deal with the scene and calls for service. If you are questioning that logic, so are we."

The foot patrol fracas played out on social media earlier this week, when the Morristown P.B.A local 43 said that officers were being bullied into writing more tickets to meet a quota.

"Our members have been extremely hesitant to write tickets outside of mandatory, flagrant, or unusual circumstances. Our community has been hit hard during this pandemic where many are unemployed and struggling to get by. Many of our local businesses have been crippled. We didn't feel it was necessary to add to those already difficult financial circumstances," the union posted to social media. "However our town administration has chosen to retaliate against us for doing so."

According to that post, officers are now assigned to mandatory walking posts at night but not during the day. The union noted that these officers are on foot with no vehicles to respond to emergencies or medical equipment such as narcan for overdoses, oxygen, defibrillator (AED for cardiac arrests), and other tools commonly used.

Acting Chief Darnell Richardson strongly disagreed with that assessment and issued a statement of his own.

"Spreading false information on social media is reckless, unprofessional, and completely irresponsible," Richardson said. "Deployment decisions in the Bureau are solely in response to community needs. As Chief, It is my responsibility to decide what is necessary to protect this community. Patrol tactics and strategies are assessed on an ongoing basis."

Richardson noted that foot patrols have occurred in Morristown for over four decades and the recent addition of a late-night foot patrol was in response to complaints at council meetings and his office about the lack of police presence and late-night loud, and rowdy behavior affecting the quality of life for residents in that area that was not adequately addressed by a patrol car alone.

"This specific foot patrol assignment has been in place since early July of this year," he said. "Since this foot patrol was assigned, those complaints have declined significantly."

Bergman said the PBA's initial post was never about vehicles, manpower or not wanting to walk foot posts.

"We will gladly walk foot posts. It was about being punished by taking vehicles from 3 officers for not writing enough tickets during a pandemic," the post said. "That seems like the least we can do for our community during these times."

Richardson said the post was "sad" because foot patrols are a traditional function of every police department in the country and provide a much-needed service to parts of the community. He also said that revenue quotas are not only unwelcome, they are illegal. But that officers are expected to be productive and held accountable at work.

The PBA noted that there was an order issued to "increase productivity and the officers did not respond in kind.

"We are still stopping cars for traffic infractions. We’ve just scaled back the summonses," they said.

For his part, Richardson said the troubling exchange does not dampen the efforts of the many hardworking officers that he continues to respect and enjoy working with.

"I hope that a disgruntled few do not distract from their hard work and dedication," he said.

Morristown P.B.A local 43 encouraged residents to stay vigilant and thanked the public and surrounding agencies for their support on their social media post.

"The post reached 130,000 people and was shared 600 times. None of that would have been possible without your support, and we are grateful beyond words," they said.

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