Friday, March 15, 2013
Capt. Glen Cauwels will serve as Fair Lawn's interim police chief once Chief Erik Rose steps down.
Capt. Glen Cauwels, a Fair Lawn native and Marine Corps veteran, will take over command of the Fair Lawn Police Department come April. A 19-year Fair Lawn police veteran, Cauwels will replace Chief Erik Rose at the beginning of next month and carry an interim tag until Rose officially retires at the end of the year, borough manager Tom Metzler said. Cauwels, who has been the administrative division commander since 2010, said he was very excited for the opportunity, but acknowledged that restoring the officers' trust in departmental leadership would be a huge task. "It’s going to be a big job to do, but I’m willing to do it," Cauwels said Thursday. "I’m willing to try to get everybody to work together around here.” Both Metzler and Michael …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Missed any of this week's Fair Lawn-Saddle Brook news? It's all right here.
Without a commitment from council to extend his contract beyond this year, Fair Lawn borough manager Tom Metzler submitted his letter of resignation Monday. Chief Erik Rose, a 30-year veteran of the Fair Lawn Police Department, announced his retirement Friday. An infant involved in a three-car crash on Route 80 in Saddle Brook Monday night was transported to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey State Police said. A Fair Lawn High School graduate who now lives in Garfield was arrested Wednesday on charges he impersonated a police officer to force sex on a woman in a Fairfield hotel, police said. Fair Lawn borough council has asked the manager to put money for a Fourth of July fireworks display in this year's budget. …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Following an internal affairs investigation, the borough has brought administrative charges against Capt. Joseph Cook, his attorney said.
Fair Lawn Police Capt. Joseph Cook, whose conduct was the subject of a recent internal affairs investigation, will fight the administrative charges brought against him by the borough and seek a hearing before the Office of Administrative Law in Newark, his attorney Patrick Toscano said. “Captain Cook is a terrific law enforcement officer, who has served the residents of Fair Lawn with distinction and dedication for almost 3 decades,” Toscano, whose Caldwell-based firm specializes in law enforcement defense work, wrote in an email. “He has done absolutely nothing violative of any rule or regulation at any time.” Borough officials declined to say what provoked the investigation into Cook, but have confirmed that he was out of the office on …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Former police Sgt. Michael Messina sued the borough and its police chief in 2008 under the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, also known as the New Jersey Whistleblower Act.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
NorthJersey.com published a story Wednesday thoroughly detailing the borough's closed session discussions about the lawsuit former Sgt. Michael Messina filed against the borough and police chief in 2008. According to closed session minutes, Christopher Botta, the borough's legal counsel at the time, was initially optimistic that the borough had a strong defense against Messina's claims. He called the case a "slam dunk," according to councilman Kurt Peluso, and advised the borough against settling with the former sergeant. Over time, however, the borough's opposition to settling the lawsuit softened after Messina prevailed in the initial trial and was awarded a total of $815,342.67 by a seven-person jury. Even after the borough won a …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Police Chief Erik Rose and Captain Joseph Cook face multiple lawsuits filed by borough police officers who seek punitive damages for an array of complaints
Fair Lawn council is expected to vote Tuesday in favor of shielding Police Chief Erik Rose and Capt. Joseph Cook from liability in three lawsuits filed against them by two borough police officers. In addition to being sued in their capacity as borough employees, both Rose and Cook also face personal suits from Sgt. Michael Messina and Lt. Robert Kneer that seek punitive damages for harassment and retaliatory tactics, among other things. A fourth lawsuit, filed by 31-year Fair Lawn police veteran Hiram Taylor on Nov. 18, also names Rose and Cook as defendants, but is not included on Tuesday’s agenda. Mayor Lisa Swain said that’s because borough manager Timothy Stafford only learned of the additional lawsuit Monday when it was reported in …
BNice
1:20 pm on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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