Morrisville Police
Posted: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 7:00 pm | Updated: 9:29 pm, Tue Jul 30, 2013.
Posted on July 30, 2013
While Morrisville Police Department is without a chief, the borough administration hired an interim police department director to oversee the small force.Frederick Devesa started his temporary gig Tuesday.The police department had been running without a lead administrator since former chief Jack Jones’ contract ended in December. Lt. Thomas Herron has been running the department of nine full-time and four part-time officers in the meantime.
The borough’s insurance company has directed municipal officials to investigate the police department because of lawsuits that have been filed against the police force. The insurer also advised the borough administration to hire an interim police department director, said Tom Bates, borough manager.
Devesa’s salary was unknown Tuesday, but the position was advertised at a rate of between $5,000 and $7,000 a month, with no benefits. Officials said Devesa probably will work full time until the borough hires a new chief, which could take another three to four months.
Earlier this month, Morrisville hired CityBurbs Group, a consulting firm run by Lower Makefield police Chief Ken Coluzzi, to help with filling the interim position and hiring a new chief.
“This (hiring Devesa) is good for the borough,” Bates said. “Hopefully, this will bring stability to the police department.”
Devesa, who lives in Newtown Township, was among 14 applicants.
He has more than three decades of public service, from working as a Newark police officer and detective to serving as assistant attorney general in New Jersey. He served on the New Jersey Superior Court, retiring as the presiding judge in charge of criminal courts in Middlesex County.
As assistant attorney general, Devesa established a police bureau within the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. His duties included management, coordination and oversight of the statewide police system. He also supervised litigation, investigations and technical assistance for a variety of state law enforcement agencies.
Devesa has supervised the planning and development of many New Jersey law enforcement programs, policies, training courses and legislative initiatives, Bates said.
“After interviewing him, it was obvious he is the right person for the job,” Bates told council in a memo dated Tuesday. “He has worked and excelled in nearly every facet of the criminal justice system.”
Morrisville Mayor Rita Ledger said she has an issue with the process by which Devesa was hired.
She argued that borough council didn’t create the position, nor did it agree to advertise and fill the position.
Councilwoman Debbie Smith said it’s not anything personal against Devesa; rather it’s the way the hiring was handled by the administration.
Smith said she was never informed that the interim position was up for hire, because the last time the issue was brought up to the council, the matter was tabled.
Borough solicitor James Downey said Bates hired Devesa in his capacity as borough manager because he wasn’t hiring a police chief, which would need council approval.
As for the police chief position, applications for that will be accepted from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30. The salary range is $85,000 to $90,000, based on experience. In September, six candidates will be selected. By mid-October, the council will have the top three candidates to interview.
Letters of interest and resumes should be mailed to the CityBurbs Group, 1347 Chase Road, Newtown, PA 18940.
The borough’s insurance company has directed municipal officials to investigate the police department because of lawsuits that have been filed against the police force. The insurer also advised the borough administration to hire an interim police department director, said Tom Bates, borough manager.
Devesa’s salary was unknown Tuesday, but the position was advertised at a rate of between $5,000 and $7,000 a month, with no benefits. Officials said Devesa probably will work full time until the borough hires a new chief, which could take another three to four months.
Earlier this month, Morrisville hired CityBurbs Group, a consulting firm run by Lower Makefield police Chief Ken Coluzzi, to help with filling the interim position and hiring a new chief.
“This (hiring Devesa) is good for the borough,” Bates said. “Hopefully, this will bring stability to the police department.”
Devesa, who lives in Newtown Township, was among 14 applicants.
He has more than three decades of public service, from working as a Newark police officer and detective to serving as assistant attorney general in New Jersey. He served on the New Jersey Superior Court, retiring as the presiding judge in charge of criminal courts in Middlesex County.
As assistant attorney general, Devesa established a police bureau within the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. His duties included management, coordination and oversight of the statewide police system. He also supervised litigation, investigations and technical assistance for a variety of state law enforcement agencies.
Devesa has supervised the planning and development of many New Jersey law enforcement programs, policies, training courses and legislative initiatives, Bates said.
“After interviewing him, it was obvious he is the right person for the job,” Bates told council in a memo dated Tuesday. “He has worked and excelled in nearly every facet of the criminal justice system.”
Morrisville Mayor Rita Ledger said she has an issue with the process by which Devesa was hired.
She argued that borough council didn’t create the position, nor did it agree to advertise and fill the position.
Councilwoman Debbie Smith said it’s not anything personal against Devesa; rather it’s the way the hiring was handled by the administration.
Smith said she was never informed that the interim position was up for hire, because the last time the issue was brought up to the council, the matter was tabled.
Borough solicitor James Downey said Bates hired Devesa in his capacity as borough manager because he wasn’t hiring a police chief, which would need council approval.
As for the police chief position, applications for that will be accepted from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30. The salary range is $85,000 to $90,000, based on experience. In September, six candidates will be selected. By mid-October, the council will have the top three candidates to interview.
Letters of interest and resumes should be mailed to the CityBurbs Group, 1347 Chase Road, Newtown, PA 18940.
6 comments:
How long will it take for Ms. B to invite him to the High School to hang out with her?
I would like to welcome our new Interim Police Chief, Frederick Devesa. Please serve us well.
Talk about stepping into a hornets nest.
sounds like an interesting background to get things moving in this town, Im all for it
"Borough solicitor James Downey said Bates hired Devesa in his capacity as borough manager because he wasn’t hiring a police chief, which would need council approval."
I'm not being sarcastic, and I'm not saying it was done well, but this makes me feel somewhat better that the hiring was within some semblance of the law. Then again, solicitors have been wrong before, and have a somewhat vested interest in protecting their clients and themselves from losing lawsuits. Some solicitors do that better than others, though. Ugh. I'm staying out of this.
I am extremely disappointed with the events unfolding within the Morrisville Police Department. I understand that there are internal problems but what about the residents of the Borough who rely on them for protection??? The Borough and the Officers should be embarrassed at what a mockery their organization has become. The best thing would be to disband the police department entirely and have Morrisville receive police service from Falls Township, Lower Makefield, or a combination of both. It seems that most of the Officers are unable to perform their duties in a manner that residents of the Borough deserve.
Post a Comment