County takes over some police functions
Hackensack internal affairs under prosecutor
HACKENSACK — The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has taken control of the city Police Department’s internal affairs bureau and office of professional standards, said Jeff Angermeyer, deputy chief with the Prosecutor’s Office.
“With guidance from Prosecutor Mark Musella, and under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office will temporarily direct and control all aspects of the Hackensack Police Department’s internal affairs function through the BCPO law enforcement chain of command,” Angermeyer said.
Musella “would like to thank Hackensack Police Director Raymond Guidetti, the governing body of the city of Hackensack, the administration of Hackensack’s city government and the members of the Hackensack Police Department for their cooperation in this effort,” Angermeyer said, adding that he could not provide further details about why the move was made and how long the Prosecutor’s Office would control the bureau.
Guidetti was hired in August 2022 after a review of the department revealed widespread overtime abuse by ranking officers and a drop in arrests. Since he was appointed, tensions between the city, police leaders and some city police officers have grown.
Numerous grievances and lawsuits have been filed against the director, alleging he has abused his authority and
claiming improprieties and retaliation against people who have spoken out against him.
In a joint statement, Frank Cavallo, president of Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 9, the union representing the city’s rank-and-file officers, and Anthony DiPersia, the president of PBA Local 9A, the supervisors’ union, said they welcomed the additional oversight in the department.
“The officers of the Hackensack Police Department welcome the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office assuming control of our internal affairs function,” they said. “We look forward to true transparency and trust this move will reestablish trust and integrity throughout the rank and file of the department.”
Both unions voted last year to express no confidence in Guidetti’s leadership. Union representatives said then that they held the vote to get the attention of the mayor and City Council and open lines of communication.
City officials in turn extended the director’s contract for another year, to run through 2026.
In February, the council passed a resolution asking the state attorney general to weigh in on whether it is legal for police officers to be paid twice for the same time worked.
City officials said at the time that they wanted a formal opinion on the actions by some officers revealed in the audits, such as splitting shifts, changing schedules to maximize the number of extraduty details worked and “double-dipping” by overlapping shifts so officers were paid for working extra-duty details and working their regular assignments at the same time.
The Prosecutor’s Office entered the Police Department building Friday morning. A Hackensack officer speaking off the record said there was no explanation given by department leaders as to who the visitors were and what they were doing, but shortly after, an email was sent out explaining new protocols to follow when filing a complaint.
When asked for comment, a spokesman for the city said officials are referring all inquiries to the statement issued by the Prosecutor’s Office.