An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office into the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department found several violations of police procedure – leading to the suspension of the police chief.
Officials say that Chief Michael Coppola used an incentives program in order to entice his officers to make more arrests and give out more tickets. Coppola apparently gave out $200 meal allowances, prime parking spots and new police cruisers to the officer who doled out the most number of arrests and tickets each month.
The investigation also found that the department routinely violated a policy regarding police pursuits. The policy states that officers cannot chase someone for a motor vehicle violation alone. But the probe found that out of 41 police pursuits, 36 were in violation of this policy.
“This is an environment there that I thought we had gotten rid of with the last issues that we had, with racial profiling,” says Assemblyman Gordon Johnson.
Johnson is calling for a complete reorganization of the department and wants them to be overseen by the Attorney General’s Office or New Jersey State Police.
(Source: News12)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
5 Responses
#corupt
The whole pallisades pkwy with that 50 mph speed limit is set up to be a game of got u. I was once waiting by the gas station before the GWB to meet someone and was sitting in my car when all of the sudden this corrupt officer shows up behind me and gives me a ticket for illegal parking. Totally abuse of power because he knew there’s no way I’m gonna spend an entire day of my life (I am told by others who tried that it actually takes hours if you go to court over there) just to fight a ticket.
28 OFFICERS FOR 11 MILES! IS THIS A RECORD?
ayid – it’s almost as many traffic cops per square block in Jewish neighborhoods
Yes, we’ve known about the Police State for quite some time now. The lowlife donut eaters knew they can prey on the guillibe taxpayers, strip them of their freedoms and get away with it. Good for Bergen County. Unfortunately that will NEVER happen in New York! Cuomo & DeBlasio just love to double tax the average worthless hard working New York taxpayers. It’s all about GOTCHA.