Interim Morrisville police director resigns
For someone like Frederick De Vesa, serving as the temporary leader of a small Bucks County police force might have looked like a low-impact postretirement gig.
He spent 42 years in New Jersey law enforcement, working as a police officer in Newark and acting state attorney general, and was an esteemed criminal court judge.
But his job as Morrisville's interim police director evidently proved to be more than he was willing to put up with. De Vesa, 67, quit after two weeks because of internal strife among police and politicians in this town of 8,000 people along the Delaware, said Victor Cicero, the Borough Council's vice president.
De Vesa's resignation became effective Monday.
His departure provided further evidence of a borough in dysfunction, one in which police officers have sued each other, and the mayor has sued the former police chief and borough officials alleging sexism and a lack of access to police records.He spent 42 years in New Jersey law enforcement, working as a police officer in Newark and acting state attorney general, and was an esteemed criminal court judge.
But his job as Morrisville's interim police director evidently proved to be more than he was willing to put up with. De Vesa, 67, quit after two weeks because of internal strife among police and politicians in this town of 8,000 people along the Delaware, said Victor Cicero, the Borough Council's vice president.
De Vesa's resignation became effective Monday.
De Vesa "tried to make some administrative decisions in terms of record-keeping and assignments, and he was interfered with," Cicero said. He declined to elaborate except to say that the resistance came from some officers and elected officials.
Morrisville hired De Vesa to lead the department for a few months while a consulting firm vets applicants to replace Chief Jack Jones, who retired in December. De Vesa did not return a phone message from The Inquirer. Lt. Thomas Herron will return as the borough's officer in charge in the interim.
"For [De Vesa] to get discouraged is a tremendous loss to our town," Cicero added. "What quality person would come here after seeing De Vesa's experience?"
Several well-qualified law enforcement officials are interested in the job, according to Ken Coluzzi, the police chief in nearby Lower Makefield Township, whose consulting firm, CityBurbs Group, is vetting 15 applicants.
Coluzzi said the Morrisville job would be a challenge. But he said the right person could address the strife with support from the council and the mayor.
Among the applicants are candidates from departments in surrounding towns as well as New Jersey and Philadelphia, the previous home of some Bucks County police chiefs, including Coluzzi.
"We're really hopeful," Coluzzi said. "It's going to be some time before the ship gets on the right track. But I have to believe that it will turn out OK."
Morrisville's department has nine full-time and four part-time officers. The town sits directly across the Delaware from Trenton, from which criminals often cross the bridges. Last month, for instance, four men from the Trenton area were charged with robbing seven people at gunpoint in Morrisville in one night.
Earlier this month, Officer William Smith sued the department and some fellow officers for harassment, alleging they called him heartless and "the Tin Man" for writing speeding tickets and making DUI arrests.
He also contended that a fellow officer, Erica McIntyre, continually tried to embarrass him by exposing her breasts and underwear, and asking him salacious questions.
For her part, McIntyre has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission alleging a hostile work environment, according to Smith's suit.
Rita Ledger, the mayor, is suing borough officials, including Cicero, and the Police Department for allegedly denying her access to police files and personnel records. She contends that the borough's manager, assistant manager, and Jones told her she got her job only by performing sex acts.
"She has been berated when she tries to tell the police what to do, being told that she is useless and that they 'don't need a mayor,' they have mayors at home," her suit contends
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130820_Interim_Morrisville_police_director_resigns.html#ZojVTVYSMXX6tvaE.99
11 comments:
This has brought tremendously damaging attention to our town. Shame shame shame.
Relax, it's only compromising public safety and further degrading our already tarnished reputation as a yahoo-laden laughingstock of a backwater.
Barney Fife was more professional.
"""We're really hopeful," Coluzzi said. "It's going to be some time before the ship gets on the right track. But I have to believe that it will turn out OK."""
That might be part of the problem. Ship on the right track? Train on the right channel?
Stay on Track.
this whole department needs to be cleared out including council and the good ole boys club inside borough hall etc. We need all new fresh faces with new ideas and focus and energy. The old energy inside those buildings is toxic
Totally agree with Deb
Enough is enough!
It is more about their egos then it is about the community.
They all have done enough damage!
How much longer are we as tax paying citizens going to put up with this?
ENOUGH!
I agree but are Kitty Westrope and Justin Bowers the answers? They're more of the same. Bowers gives me the creeps he's got a Son of Sam death stare.
LOL I believe that every post but the one directly above were typed by the same person....I think you and your friends are the biggest part of the problem. Hopefully the trial left by some of the messes your friends left behind will lead right back to them in the end. So keep badmouthing the people trying to clean up years of neglect. I would want to sweep them out as well if I were you.
I said "trial" but I meant "trail" although trial may work as well.
I truly believe SOC (Ledger, Sandford, Smith, with help from Burger, Westrope and Bowers are the latest additions) is the root of the problem. Strong but flexible coalitions to counter them were needed but didn't last long. Now we have polarized, fractured government where little or nothing gets done. Welcome to the club, Morrisville, or are we founding members?
These people have no shame, so they don't see just how they appear to others, and will never admit they are the problem. The only solution is to work harder to get them remove from any position where they can continue to do harm. I don;t understand how they can even show their faces in public. They are a disgrace.
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