Officers upset with Parrey’s golf buddies being on the clock
TRENTON » City cops who attended a golf outing Monday with Director Ernest Parrey were initially listed as working.
That scheduling status changed Tuesday for two of the officers after The Trentonian reported that cop sources alleged that Parrey and his playing buddies were on city time while golfing Monday afternoon at a charity event at the posh Jasna Polana private golf club in Princeton.
Screenshots received Monday by police sources who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution of the city’s officer scheduling system showed Parrey and the officers who shot a round of golf with their boss, Detective George Dzurkoc, acting Sgt. Gaetano Ponticiello and Sgt. Brian Cipolloni, were on the clock.
“Each golfed the entire day and never came into headquarters,” one city cop alleged. “They were paid which obviously is a theft.”
On Tuesday, Dzurkoc, who is the former PBA president who was recently voted out of office and one of Parrey’s closest friends in the department, was marked for taking a vacation day on Monday while Ponticiello’s status was changed to off due to comp time.
Lt. Stephen Varn confirmed that the changes occurred Tuesday because the two officers work for him.
“I was well aware that they were going to both be off (Monday),” Varn said. “Their slips were on my desk, which means that they did not get into the computer. There’s nothing unusual about that whatsoever. It’s not unusual for slips sometimes to sit on a desk and not get into a computer.”
Varn, the department’s spokesperson, said he had the time slips since Friday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Parrey and Cipolloni were still classified as working the previous day, images of the city’s police officer scheduling system show.
Parrey, who is salaried, still must put in when he is off, Varn said.
“His time does get put into the computer,” Varn said. “But again, it’s not unusual for it to get put in at a later time.”
Varn said he would have to check with Cipolloni’s commander on the sergeant’s time for Monday, but provided no other clarification.
Parrey was captured on video at the golf course on Monday by two Trentonian reporters following this past weekend’s bloodshed that left three men dead in Trenton.
When asked if he thought it was best to be out golfing after the violent weekend, Parrey responded, “I think I’ve earned my time and so that’s why I’m here.”
One city activist called the director’s actions “deplorable” while Councilman Alex Bethea said he “was not happy” after learning of Parrey’s excursion with fellow officers.
Police sources claimed Parrey and some of his cop confidantes participated in another golf outing earlier this year on a weekday. A screenshot of that day in question was also provided to The Trentonian.
“What makes this interesting was all of them were on the clock and got paid for the day,” the police source said.