Never a dull moment. Corrupt police will always gang up on the officer(s) that out corruption. It’s a stain on the profession. Just ask John Parizeau, Bernard Tracy, John Rowe, Jim McCullough, and any other cop beholden to their police chief
Monday, June 10, 2024
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Westfield Appoints New DPW Superintendent
With Westfield DPW Supt. Greg O’Neil retiring, the town council introduced long-time DPW employee Craig Gibson as the department's new director at a town council meeting earlier this month.
While Mayor Shelley Brindle touted the success of Greg O’Neil’s tenure as superintendent, she left out the scandals that took place under his supervision including the coordinated theft of overtime by one of his supervisors and subordinates, the illegal dumping of asphalt and other debris on New Jersey Transit property adjacent to the DPW, and the alleged theft of town revenue from the sale of scrap metal by a DPW supervisor.
Craig Gibson has been elevated to the position of superintendent of the Westfield Department of Public Works from his supervisor position. It was Gibson that allegedly uncovered the theft of overtime by other DPW employees according to an investigation conducted by the town after a photo of a DPW employee involved in the theft scheme was obtained by The Fact of The Matter and posted on this blog.
The town has created the position of assistant director of public works. TFoTM questions why this role was created and who might be a candidate.
Perhaps Rob Kosiolek, another supervisor in the DPW might ascend to the position and reward himself with more stolen overtime.
Maybe the town will promote Richard Eubanks, another supervisor, long thought by others to be a Fact of The Matter source.
Or, Eugene Watkins, the son of Frank Watkins. Frank Watkins was the employee signing other employees out allowing them to steal overtime pay for hours they never worked.
Perhaps the town might want to look a little deeper into the ranks of the DPW to find a worthy applicant.
See related stories of overtime theft.
Friday, June 30, 2023
Westfield Superior Officers Resign
Westfield Police Department superior officers Preston Freeman and Nicole Tango Stivale resign after departmental charges and suspension
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
It Happens Everywhere
Cop files lawsuit and police department retaliates. Just another example of bullshit to silence a lawsuit.
N.J. cop files notice of lawsuit, faces IA charges the next day
https://www.nj.com/union/2023/02/nj-cop-files-notice-of-lawsuit-faces-ia-charges-the-next-day.htmlMonday, November 28, 2022
Union County Prosecutor Drops the Ball….Again
Once again, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office let criminals slide. The Fact of The Matter is not surprised since the UCPO also let a criminal police chief off the hook in 2018.
Corrupt Westfield Police Chief David Wayman and his underling Leonard Lugo, were both spared criminal charges after video surveillance cameras caught Wayman stealing from the police department’s evidence/property room. Cameras caught the disgraced police chief stealing property seized in a search warrant on a home used to store proceeds from a credit card theft ring.
The following is a recap from a resident detailing what took place earlier this month when car theft suspects attempted to gain entry to a vehicle parked in front of their home. The attempted theft was captured on the resident’s Ring camera.
Copied and pasted from the resident’s Facebook post:
“I wanted to post so that the community could be aware of what happened to us and our neighborhood yesterday. Hopefully together we can make a change. Our car was almost stolen from outside our home (600 block of Kimball Ave) at 2pm yesterday, Wednesday 11/9. There were children on the street playing since schools got out at 12:30. Our UPS man witnessed everything, wrote down the license plate number when he heard my husband yelling and was with my husband when he made the 911 call. My husband was still on with dispatch when they identified the vehicle on Harrison Ave. The suspects (5) were picked up almost immediately. The Westfield Police Department and Detective DeSilva were incredible. They were at our home 3 times and brought my husband to the police station to give a video taped statement. While there the Dispatcher came out and High fived my husband saying “that was record breaking, we caught them!”
The Union County Prosecutors office declined charge, even with Ring Video footage. It cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there was intent to steal the car. 5 stolen license plates found in the trunk of the car and they had nothing to prosecute???
We cannot believe it. The WPD Chief Christopher Battiloro came to our home this afternoon and expressed his frustration with the Union County Prosecutor’s unwillingness to accept the charges presented. This could’ve been an opportunity. Instead it was barely a slap on the wrist. Please feel free to reach out to the Prosecutor, Meghan Tomlinson, 908-527-4500 and express your concerns for our community. Again, we were impressed by the response from the WPD but are aghast that the charges were dropped by the Prosecutor (other than a few MV citations).”
Monday, November 14, 2022
Investigator of DPW Thefts Finds Supervisor Untrustworthy
The following is an update to a Fact of The Matter story posted in 2018 exposing rampant overtime theft by employees of the Westfield DPW including supervisor of the forestry division Rob Kosciolek. TFoTM has identified Kosciolek as the “ringleader” of the group of employees that stole time not worked.
In her Investigation Report submitted to Westfield Town Administrator Jim Gildea, Stephanie Gironda concluded that “Mr. ((Rob) Kosciolek was “Neither forthcoming nor completely credible.” (See report’s conclusion.)
Investigator Gironda included in her report that she believes the DPW employees she interviewed, “Colluded to tell the same story,” and did so to “Get their stories straight.”
The un-redacted report recently obtained by TFoTM reveals Gironda’s interviews and conclusions after she conducted an investigation, at the request of Jim Gildea, into alleged overtime theft by Westfield DPW employees including supervisor of the forestry division, Rob Kosciolek.
Kosciolek billed/bilked the town for over $35,000 of overtime in 2018 by having other employees sign him into or out of overtime work after his regular shift had ended at 3pm The other employees would sign Kosciolek out of work as late as 8pm and beyond, garnering him overtime for work he was never present for. As a supervisor, Kosciolek was not required to sign into his daily shift from 7am to 3pm.
The amount of stolen overtime, that fleeced the pockets of Westfield taxpayers, totals in the thousands of dollars.
The Fact of The Matter obtained photos of DPW Frank Watkins holding a list of names and employee numbers that he used to sign people into or out of overtime work that did not work the entire billed hours.
Contrary to Stephanie Girond’s opinion, TFoTM can unequivocally confirm that the photos were not obtained from Craig Gibson.
In fact, her report is full of inaccuracies including the misidentification and incorrect spelling of town employees, and investigating the wrong time frame of when the thefts occurred.
It’s impossible to obtain evidence of actual theft of time unless someone kept an accurate record of when people actually arrived or left work. Therefore, Gironda’s statement that she did not find evidence is NOT proof of anything.
What is important is that Gironda decided that the people interviewed probably colluded with one another to “get their stories straight.”
Supervisor Rob Kosciolek remains employed by the Town of Westfield.
Monday, October 17, 2022
The Watcher: Hollywood Fiction vs Westfield Reality
The Watcher, which made its debut on Netflix last week, has resurrected social media debate, news stories, and curious people driving by the infamous house located at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, NJ.
Derek and Maria Broaddus have moved on and currently live in another home in Westfield, but in the movie, the last scenes of the Netflix series show both of them passing by the house in separate vehicles without the others knowledge, after they sold it, as if to lead the viewer to think they still have an obsession with the home and what drove them out.
There are plot lines in the movie that were never a reality in the daily happenings of the Broaddus family and their neighbors, as well as the investigation and findings of the Westfield Police Department's botched investigation. It appears that Hollywood distorted facts and other information they based The Watcher seven part series on, to mask the identities and backgrounds of the real life neighbors and suspects. Hollywood had to embellish the storyline beyond just the harassing letters received from The Watcher in order to pump out seven episodes.
For example, while its been alleged that a local Westfield real estate broker, who was a neighbor, was upset that she didn't get the listing of the more than $1.35 million dollar home, the movie portrays the real estate agent as a friend of Maria Broaddus. The two are featured playing tennis, wining, and dining, at a local country club on the water.
In the movie series, the real estate agent sold them the house then heavily campaigned for them to re-sell the house after the Broadduses are driven towards a mental breakdown that jeopardizes their marriage. Ultimately, the realtor purchases the home at a discount leading the Broadduses to believe she is the Watcher. She is forced to flee the home days after she moves in when her dog, named Barron, is found barking in the basement at what might be a ghost and she sees what she thinks is someone in the house.
In real life, a neighbor to The Watcher house at 657 Boulevard is a realtor that allegedly lived with her brother and mother, both passed away in 2020
In real life, the Westfield detective that reinvestigated the case a year after the Broaddus's nightmare began, was interviewed by Reeves Wiedeman, the author of a story written from which the Netflix series based their movie on.......his name is Barron Chambliss. The police detective in Netflix's "The Watcher," is named Chamberlain.
Detective Chambliss joined the Westfield Police department in the early 1990's and was promoted to the detective bureau a few years later. Det. Chambliss became one of WPD's best detectives solving crimes, obtaining evidence, and facilitating statements and confessions from suspects that other detectives were unable to obtain. He wasn't the initial detective on The Watcher case.
In Reeves Wiedeman's follow-up story on October 11th, found at TheCut.com, Detective Chambliss is quoted as saying "I'm not Sam Spade, but the Westfield Police Department fucked these peoples' case up."
Keep in mind who was in charge of the WPD's detective bureau at the time, Lieutenant Leonard Lugo. Lugo, who would later be demoted to patrol sergeant for his role in the cover-up of disgraced Westfield Police Chief David Wayman's own hit and run accident and thefts from the police department's evidence/property room, allegedly blew the Watcher case off and didn't take it seriously.
Detective Chambliss has since retired from the Westfield Police Department and when contacted stated he has the utmost respect for the men and women of the WPD that carry on their duties with honor and integrity.
Over the past 12 years this blog has featured stories of theft and corruption by Westfield town employees in the Westfield Police Department and the Westfield Department of Public Works. You'd expect the accused, which have been named on this blog, to ferociously defend their name, reputation, and integrity. They have not. They can't because they know they are guilty of what they've been accused of perpetuating. You'd think they'd file a lawsuit for slander or libel. They have not. TFoTM has the evidence and source information implicating those involved.
The Fact of The Matter has been contacted by, and spoke with, Derek Broaddus, author Reeves Weideman, and retired detective Barron Chambliss.
After watching Netflix's "The Watcher" and taking all things into consideration, The Fact of The Matter believes that in the Netflix movie series.........Jasper wrote the letters and had help mailing them.
In real life, DNA on the underside of the licked envelope contained female DNA.
Did realtor Abby Langford and her brother Michael raise police suspicion? The Entertainment story linked below thinks there’s a possibility
Reeves Weideman's follow-up story published on TheCut.com can be found a the following hyperlink:
Entertainment story points finger at a neighbor.
https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/the-watcher-657-boulevard-update.html
Tuesday, October 04, 2022
Westfield DPW Workers Walk While Others Do Time In Jail
When Westfield DPW workers stole time by clocking out workers that never worked the clocked shift, or they went home early but weren’t clocked out until hours later, nothing happened.
In fact, the town hired an “independent attorney” from the Wilentz law firm to investigate and to no surprise, she found no crime was committed. Her official report was heavily redacted when TFoTM obtained a copy via an Open Public Records Request.
Questions still remain including how was Westfield DPW Supervisor Rob Kosciolek able to rack up over 625 hours of overtime valued at over $35,000 in one year.
Pictures obtained by TFoTM revealed one DPW worker clocking in or out multiple employees that were not present.
7 years later, jail time and PTI for pair in North Bergen low-show/no-show job scheme including a DPW supervisor.
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/10/7-years-later-jail-time-and-pti-for-pair-in-north-bergen-low-showno-show-job-scheme.htmlSee related The Fact of The Matter blog stories chronicling the DPW thefts and municipal coverup.
Friday, September 09, 2022
Westfield PD’s Leonard Lugo and David Wayman Criminal Cover-Up
If the Patterson police officers convicted of theft and false reporting worked in Westfield, they’d get retirement and pension, or just a demotion for theft and filing a false police report. Ain’t that right David Wayman and Leonard Lugo?
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| LEONARD LUGO |
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| DAVID WAYMAN |
Disgraced ex-police chief/thief David Wayman retired in “good standing” in 2018 despite evidence of theft from the police department’s evidence/property room, including video surveillance of the thievery.
The Union County Prosecutors Office and Westfield town officials refuse to comment on why criminal charges weren’t filed against the corrupt Westfield superior officer and criminal police chief.
Leonard Lugo was demoted from Detective Lieutenant to patrol Sergeant for his role in the cover-up of Wayman’s hit & run accident in 2018 and allegedly for his involvement in Wayman’s thefts.
Ironically, Lugo had previously transferred from the Patterson Police Department, to Westfield, obviously bringing the corruption that plagued Patterson PD, to Westfield PD. No doubt he made his mentors in Patterson proud.
See related news story link below. 3 N.J. cops convicted of robbing residents get up to 2 years in federal prison
https://www.nj.com/news/2022/09/three-cops-convicted-of-robbing-nj-residents-get-up-to-two-years-in-federal-prison.htmlSunday, July 31, 2022
Police Chiefs Favor Friends
Just change the name from Union County Chief Debbie to Westfield Chief Tracy or Westfield Chief Wayman. Corruption and coverups have no boundaries
Another example of a police officer reporting corruption in a department only to have the department target the officer by using internal affairs as a tool to silence the whistleblower.
Another example of the police unable to police themselves
N.J. police department run by ‘old boys club,’ and those not it in suffer, lawsuit alleges
https://www.nj.com/union/2022/07/nj-police-department-run-by-old-boys-club-and-those-not-it-in-suffer-lawsuit-alleges.htmlWednesday, July 27, 2022
Accusations of Gender and Race Discrimination Refuted by Facts
The Fact of The Matter has obtained information that refutes claims of race and gender discrimination levied by two Westfield Police Department supervisors.
Nicole Tango-Stivale and Preston Freeman filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination on the heels of disciplinary action filed against them for not following proper departmental policy and rules & regulations regarding the handling of a subordinate who they allegedly suspected of racial profiling, an accusation that was later debunked.
As of this post, both Stivale-Tango and Freeman were awaiting their departmental hearings regarding the charges filed against them or have had them adjudicated.
TFoTM is awaiting the outcome but will post the information received, later this week.
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
A Corrupt Police Chief’s Web of Connections?
Lisa Ann Cybulski is no stranger to ex-Westfield police chief David Wayman. The corrupt police chief waltzed away from his job in 2018 after internal affairs investigations including one regarding a fabricated hit & run accident that was later exposed by TFoTM as an accident involving Wayman. Additionally, Wayman was caught stealing from the police department’s evidence/property locker, helping himself to evidence from search and seizures.
Cybulski, a Union County Assistant Prosecutor, allegedly had an intimate relationship with the amorous married police chief that caught the eye of co-workers. Wayman’s wandering eye and wavering integrity didn’t come as a surprise to those that knew him on and off-duty. Internal affairs, marital affairs…….Wayman was no stranger to either.
How does a corrupt police chief avoid criminal charges for theft and retire in “good standing” with the blessing of the town administration?
Some might say that connections had something to do with it. Others might say that the Union County Prosecutors Office had a conflict of interest in investigating corrupt police chief David Wayman.
Why did Union County Prosecutor John Esmerado leave the UCPO on the heels of Wayman’s investigation? Why wouldn’t AP Melissa Spagnoli answer a question regarding why a black Union County police officer is serving prison time for theft while a white Westfield police chief/thief is collecting a $100K pension each year? Maybe Lisa Ann Cybulski can tell us.
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| Lisa Ann Cybulski |
Wednesday, June 08, 2022
Westfield Police Lt. Nicole Stivale Claims Discrimination Despite Admission of Equality
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| Photo credit TAP Westfield |
January 23, 2020
On the day of her promotion to lieutenant, Nicole Stivale was quoted by a local online news source. TAP Westfield stated, "While Stivale noted she is one of just a handful of women in the department, she said that number has been increasing in recent years. The women, Stivale said, have positive working relationships with their fellow officers."
Stivale further stated, "The guys that we work with, they're fabulous, they treat us as equals.' There's a comradery to it all. We all work well together. We all have different things to bring to the table."
Nicole Stivale is the highest ranking female officer in the Westfield Police Department and filed a lawsuit after being served with departmental charges for her handling of a subordinate.
Monday, June 06, 2022
Letter to the Editor: Allegations of Racial Misconduct are Unfounded
The following letter to the The Fact of The Matter was written after the writer reviewed 70 pages of a 130 page Internal Affairs investigation report relating to a biased policing complaint filed against Westfield Police Officer Forcenito. The Westfield Police Department Internal Investigation file follows the letter.
Dear, The Fact of The Matter
The various media gave prime coverage to the filing of a lawsuit by two Westfield policeman against the town based on the alleged racism of a third officer evidenced by two tickets issued by the third officer and by “numerous observations” one of the accusing officers witnessed in past dealings with him.
The media recently posted a video of the alleged racist ticket, which showed exemplary conduct by both the officer and the motorist receiving the ticket. The news outlet did comment on the allegation of “numerous observations” when the video contradicted the allegations of misconduct.
The factual investigation of the matter shows that the two accusing officers admitted that they had no specific incident of racism against the accused officer. Both accusers admitted they knew that they were duty-bound to report such conduct when they learned of it. Both admitted they never made such a report.
The accusing officers charged that the offending policeman refused to write a report and they charged him with insubordination. The accusing officers never mentioned that there was no refusal, just a request for PBA representation. This is an absolute right of the alleged offending officer.
The accusing officers suspended the third-party on the spot and sent him home. The New Jersey attorney general guidelines specifically set forth how and by whom such discipline can be exercised. Both accusing officers admit they knew of the guidelines and did not follow them.
Other allegations in the complaint emphasized by the media claim that the African-American plaintiff was the first such officer promoted to sergeant. This is blatantly false and the local media should have mentioned that.
Lastly, anyone connected to law-enforcement knows that a summons must be issued to anyone driving with an expired license. The two accusing officers admit that the ticket to the African-American driver for a lapsed license was mandated. It had nothing to do with race.
It is amazing how the press in all its forms, is quick to report allegations of racial misconduct by government officials, especially police.
In the police investigation of the allegations against the Westfield officer, the two accusing officers could not substantiate any allegation and admitted violations of numerous rules and regulations.
The lawsuit continues and the defense is controlled by the insurance carrier which is far more interested in costs than in truth.
In the past, the norm seems to be to throw some money to the complainant and make everyone promise confidentiality.
This is one time when the present administration can refuse to ask for, or agree to, confidentiality and to try to impose on its carrier to seek truth rather than economy.
I don’t know the accused officer, but having reviewed the facts in this matter, I would like him to know he’s an asset to Westfield.
A. John Blake
The opinions expressed herein are the writer's alone, and do not reflect the opinions of The Fact of The Matter or anyone who contributed to The Fact of The Matter is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the writer.
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Select “Read More” to view entire 70 page Internal Affairs report. |
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Westfield Councilwomen Support Local Westfield Playhouse
Westfield town council members Dawn Mackey (4th ward) and Emily Root (1st ward) support Westfield Community Players who perform at one of Westfield’s historic buildings located on the corner of North Ave. and Edgewood Pl. This local playhouse has relied on local support, putting on top notch performances right here in Westfield.
Just another bright spot that TFoTM shines a light on.
Friday, May 20, 2022
It Happened Here, It Happened There With Different Result
Jersey City police officer faces criminal charge for filing false police report. Disgraced Westfield police chief David Wayman was involved in the coverup of his own accident and retired in good standing after a Union County Prosecutors Office investigation revealed his hit and run and his thefts from the WPD evidence/property room.
Who is more corrupt? Police chief Wayman or the UCPO assistant prosecutor that investigated?
Too bad the Jersey City officer didn’t work in Westfield
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Cops Tell a Cop, Not to be a Cop: An Opinion
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Westfield Sergeant Preston Freeman and Lieutenant Nicole Stivale and is featured online this morning. See NJ Com article link at the bottom of opinion piece.
It appears that the lawsuit claims discrimination based on race and gender.
Think about it, the first female in Westfield PD history to obtain the rank of lieutenant is claiming discrimination based on gender? Really? I guess since her protectors, former corrupt police chiefs Barney Tracy and David Wayman are no longer in positions of power to protect her inept supervisory skills, a lawsuit gets filed.
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| Nicole Tango-Stivale |
Someone needs to ask, “Why did Lt. Tango-Stivale suspend a subordinate police officer on the spot, without thinking to contact/consult a superior……maybe a captain, maybe your chief?”
Sources have confirmed that proper procedure may not have been followed in authorizing an immediate suspension of a patrolman. TFoTM believes THAT’s why two Westfield supervisors were suspended. This has nothing to do with retaliation, race, or gender. Sgt. Freeman is the frontline supervisor under the command of Stivale therefore, he becomes part of the debacle.
Something doesn’t smell right here. As Westfield councilman Mark LoGrippo recently stated so eloquently at a town council meeting, during discussion about a residential project planned for the corner of Ferris Place and Prospect Street, he described the process as being a bit ”Fugazy.” Well, this lawsuit seems littered with some “Fugazy.”
Sergeant Freeman claims that in March 2007, when he was assigned to patrol the downtown, known as Post 1. A sergeant who saw him in a patrol car ordered him back to police headquarters and to walk back downtown. Freeman claims that the sergeant stated. “That’s for them and this is for you,” when questioned why he couldn’t have a vehicle when other officers used one. NEWSFLASH…..not every officer that has been assigned Post 1 gets a patrol vehicle. It’s been that way for decades.
It needs repeating that not every officer is assigned a vehicle when assigned to patrol downtown. Perhaps had Freeman been “walking the beat” of Post 1 as he was assigned by his patrol supervisor, instead of allegedly sitting in the patrol vehicle, he’d have no claim of what he perceives now to be discrimination along with other incidents of perceived discrimination/retaliation
For those unfamiliar with what the assigned duty of Post 1 entails, an officer is assigned to “walk the beat” in the evening until 11 PM at night or sometimes even later. Some police officers would be given cars if the cars were available while other officers would not be given a patrol car, It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with each individual sergeant and whether they want to accommodate an officer with a vehicle. Perhaps a shift is running short on manpower and the sergeant tells the Post 1 assigned officer to stay near his car in the event headquarters must send him on a call for service across town. That’s a reason to provide a vehicle to the Post 1 assigned officer. Other supervisors, when left short handed on a shift, might still send an officer downtown without a car. It’s at the supervisors discretion.
Regarding the alleged comment made by Westfield police chief Chris Battiloro about car thieves and comparing them to ants, it’s an analogy, nothing more, nothing less even though Freeman has allegedly claimed in the lawsuit that the comment was racist. No doubt that a lawyer has tried to dig deep for other references of discrimination.
From the internet: The phrase to crawl, or to come, out of the woodwork means, of an unpleasant or unwelcome person or thing, to come out of hiding, to emerge from obscurity. The image is of vermin or insects crawling out of crevices or other hidden places in a building.
To try and twist it into a racist comment is frivolous. I make these comments based on my experience working with both officers prior to my retirement in 2007. I also worked in a patrol car with David Wayman when he referred to a passing motor vehicle as “A carload of coal.” The car was occupied by a black motorist and black passengers as it passed the Midas lot on South Ave. Now THAT’s racist.
Preston Freeman is a good guy, intelligent, a good cop. However, I think this lawsuit misses the mark and it’s a reaction to departmental discipline regarding the mishandling of an officer and that officer’s patrol practices.
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| Preston Freeman |
As far as Nicole Tango-Stivale is concerned, I believe she spent less than nine months in patrol before being reassigned to the records bureau. Her appointment to the Westfield Police Department was via former corrupt police chief Barney Tracy and his relationship with her family. Her cousin John Tango was also hired. Tango would get swept up in corrupt police chief David Wayman’s theft from the WPD investigation conducted by the Union County Prosecutors Office. Some have said Tango saved his job by flipping on Wayman just like the demoted Leonard Lugo.
Keep in mind, when Chief Tracy retired (2006), he got a job with the Linden BOE as a security guard……his hook…..a man by the last name of Tango. One hand washed the other. It might not be nepotism, but the hiring of cousins related to a Tango that was hooked up with Linden BOE Supt. Joe Martino, who’s son Joe Martino Jr. was also hired by Barney Tracy, stinks of political posturing trading jobs as police officers for a Tracy job upon retirement
Nicole Tango-Stivale’s arrogance and pompous demeanor as a patrol officer may have been excused as an attempt by her to “mark her spot” or “prove her worth” in a male dominant profession, but quite frankly, most were not fooled. Some saw it as an attempt to cover up her questionable and sometimes inept patrol practices. Why else would another officer be told to shadow her on car stops while she was a patrol officer?
She married one of her training officers (James Stivale) who himself, retired after 20 years in the midst of a DWI trial where a subpoena was issued for his appearance and testimony at trial as one of the arresting officers. That appearance on the witness stand would’ve revealed his questionable patrol practices including racial profiling, illegal motor vehicle stops, failing to call out certain motor vehicle stops, and falsifying radio transmissions on the legitimacy of his car stops. Don’t believe TFoTM, ask former prosecutor C. Nugent. Jim Stivale wouldn’t return to work and the DWI charge against the motorist was dropped.
Nicole Stivale’s lawsuit is without merit and is a frivolous attempt to fleece the town by lodging accusations that contradict her rise to the first female lieutenant and highest ranking female in department history.
Her first two promotions were based, in part, on her connections made through the hiring process and her allegiance to former corrupt police chief Barney Tracy and police chief David Wayman…..and she tested well. Was the testing process tainted? This lawsuit seems more of a retaliation by Nicole Stivale, because she can’t take her medicine in the form of discipline due to her alleged inept handling of a subordinate (patrolman) under her command.
As far as Preston Freeman is concerned, TFoTM believes the race card is being played here and quite frankly it’s sad because he is a man of integrity. I do hope to be wrong in some of these opinions and observations, that would mean a payday for Stivale and Freeman. That payday might be inevitable considering many municipalities decide it’s cheaper to settle a lawsuit than it is to fight it.
Freeman allegedly claims that the delay in his promotion to sergeant was discriminatory. Based on source information, Westfield police chief Chris Battiloro was apparantly delaying promotions to be made from a test administered by the corrupt and proven thief/liar chief David Wayman who resigned after a UCPO theft investigation.
Allegedly, no criteria was set and the testing process was allegedly tampered with to garner the results Wayman wanted. Battiloro wanted the promotions to be made in full transparency and with a selection/testing process that could be trusted. The delay in promoting Freeman had nothing to do with discrimination based on race. If anything, perhaps Freeman should be paid for the delay in his promotion once it was decided the Wayman testing process results would reluctantly be used.
TFoTM doesn’t deny that racial profiling has existed in the Westfield police department for decades by a select few officers. TFoTM doesn’t deny that Westfield supervisors Tango-Stivale and Freeman suspected racial profiling by a subordinate. The question remains, did they handle it correctly?
If proper departmental procedures were not followed in the investigation of a subordinate’s patrol practices and suspension, the supervisors should be held accountable.
The subordinate’s alleged immediate suspension by Tango-Stivale and Freeman appears to be due to the subordinates refusal to complete an Officer’s Report on why he ticketed a black motorist and not a white motorist.
Simple solution to the supervisor’s request for a report would’ve been to write the report using a few words….”Police officer discretion.” Should Tango-Stivale, as the department’s Watch Commander, absent the two captains and police chief, be authorized to issue an immediate suspension without consultation of those in a higher rank?
TFoTM believes that Tango-Stivale and Freeman allegedly gave a lawful order to a subordinate officer to write an officer’s report. What followed is in question?
Bottom line, Westfield police chief Chris Battiloro is not a racist. That statement is based on years of experience working with him and based on the observations of others that TFoTM has contacted. His tenure as police chief has turned the department around after years of corruption and coverups were commonplace. Any police chief willing to rock the boat of corruption, to right a sinking ship wrought with a tainted promotional process, favoritism, and a “good ole boy” network, will run into issues.
TFoTM supports the honest men and women of the Westfield Police Department that took an oath “To protect and to serve” the community of Westfield with integrity.
You’ll never know what a lawyer will spin something into to justify a lawsuit. The fact of the matter is, TFoTM believes you can sue a ham sandwich for not having the right amount of mustard on it. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get more mustard. Let’s see if this ham sandwich gets more mustard.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Police Sergeant Suspended for Theft
If only he worked in Westfield and his name was David Wayman. Thief suspended from department for stealing from his department’s PBA.
Wayman stole from the Westfield police department but was able to scam his retirement pension. Perhaps Wayman can offer a few pointers to the officer from Bergen County.
N.J. cop charged with stealing from police union, prosecutor says
https://www.nj.com/bergen/2022/04/nj-cop-charged-with-stealing-from-police-union-prosecutor-says.html
Sunday, April 10, 2022
If Only They Worked In Union County
If only these two guys in the story link below, worked in Union County where a white police chief from Westfield (David Wayman) can steal from his department’s property/evidence room, get caught on tape doing it, and retire in “good” standing allowing him to collect his $9,000 a month pension……while a black Union County police officer (Blake Clay) is sentenced to state prison for the same crime.
Official misconduct is any improper or illegal act performed by a public official that violates his duty to act on behalf of the public good. More specifically, under N.J.S.A.
There is a seven year statute of limitation for an official misconduct prosecution. Official misconduct is a crime of the second degree, however, it may be reduced to third degree if the benefit obtained or sought or of which another is deprived is of a value of $200.00 or less.
Statute of limitations on Wayman’s crime (official misconduct)…..7 years from 2018. Still got three more years to prosecute the thief.
Check out: Caught on video: 2 NJ cops lose jobs after stealing bikes
https://nj1015.com/caught-on-video-2-nj-cops-lose-jobs-after-stealing-bikes/ |
| Disgraced Westfield Police Chief David Wayman |
Thursday, April 07, 2022
What’s the UCPO Doing? Covering Up Corruption?
Pay special attention to the last five paragraphs of the editorial below featured in this week’s Westfield Leader newspaper. Starting with “In 2018, former Westfield Police Chief David Wayman…….”
Over two years ago, I was interviewed by the Union County Prosecutors Office. Det. Colin McNamara and Asst. Prosecutor Melissa Spagnoli were asked, “Why is a white Westfield police chief collecting a pension worth over $100,000 a year after it was determined he was involved in thefts from the police department, while a black Union County police officer was tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison?”
AP Spagnoli’s answer, “This interview is over.”
I followed up with a visit to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders on March 5, 2020 and asked the same question.
Board President Mirabella stated that they aren’t in charge of the UCPO. I guess he forgot that the freeholders are an oversight committee. The next month Covid hit and there were no in-person meetings to follow-up after my three minutes at the microphone were up.
Something ain’t right in the Union County Prosecutor’s Office and the Westfield Leader newspaper isn’t the first to question it.
I appeared before the Westfield Town Council in 2018 and asked Mayor Shelley Brindle why the town wasn’t dealing administratively with the corrupt police chief David Wayman. Her response was she could not comment and referred me to the UCPO
This goes above the UCPO and NJ Attorney’s General Office. Time for someone at the FBI to get involved, especially after recent events in Clark, NJ.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Clark Township Pays $400K To Conceal Alleged Racist Slurs by Mayor and Police Chief
As reported by New Jersey Advanced Media
Two years ago, a whistleblower in Clark Township came forward with explosive allegations: He’d secretly recorded the mayor, the police chief, and a supervisor in internal affairs referring to Blacks with racial slurs.
“Shines.” “Spooks.” The N-word.
Yet Clark officials hid those accusations by preemptively agreeing to pay $400,000 to the whistleblower and his attorney to avoid a lawsuit that would have thrust them into the public eye, an NJ Advance Media investigation has found. Under the settlement, the whistleblower, police Lt. Antonio Manata, turned the recordings over to the township. And Clark allowed him to remain on the payroll without working until he retired at the rank of captain last month with his full pension.
That seemingly kept a lid on the controversy.
But in July 2020, six months after the parties signed the agreement, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office took over Clark’s police department, citing “credible allegations of misconduct” involving its leadership while giving no indication of what they were investigating.
Police Chief Pedro Matos and internal affairs Sgt. Joseph Teston were immediately placed on paid administrative leave, township records show. So was a police captain, Vincent Concina, whom Manata had accused of retaliation.
In seizing control, county prosecutors and the state Attorney General’s Office promised a public report on their findings as racial justice protests over George Floyd’s murder engulfed the nation.
Yet 20 months later, the three suspended officers continue to draw six-figure salaries at a combined cost to taxpayers of $763,000 and counting through March 15, according to township records. And an attorney for Manata charges that Union County prosecutors are retaliating against him by seeking to block him from collecting his pension.
Presented with a summary of NJ Advance Media’s findings, spokespeople for acting state Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Union County Prosecutor William Daniel would not address the lawyer’s claims or say why the probe is taking so long. Instead, they renewed their pledge for a public report.
“We can assure the residents of Clark, the members of the Clark Police Department, and the public at large that the investigation, once completed, will have been comprehensive, thorough, and impartial,” said the statement released by Steven Barnes of the attorney general’s office.
Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, Clark’s longest-serving mayor, denied accusations that he and others used racist language. In November 2020, the Republican was elected to his sixth term in office, running unopposed.
‘A big (expletive) monkey head’
NJ Advance Media obtained copies of a draft of Manata’s lawsuit, which was settled before it was filed; the settlement agreement that kept the tapes a secret; and seven recordings Manata made from November 2018 to July 2019. The recordings depict a small-town police department closely controlled by Bonaccorso, who mixed shop talk with racial slurs.
In two recordings, Bonaccorso allegedly referred to Blacks as “spooks,” and in another, he allegedly used the N-word. Bonaccorso was also allegedly captured saying he would not hire female police officers, calling them “all [expletive] disasters.”
Teston, the internal affairs sergeant, allegedly compared a Black suspect to a “[expletive] animal” with a “big [expletive] monkey head” and said the man’s mugshot reminded him of a photo from National Geographic.
Matos, the police chief, was allegedly caught saying that he wanted to reopen a 2017 bias investigation in which a black puppet was found hanging at the township’s high school. The reason: “to prove that them [expletive] [N-words] did it,” the chief allegedly said.
Matos, 49, and Teston, 36, did not respond to repeated attempts to reach them for comment by phone, email, and letters sent to their home detailing NJ Advance Media’s findings.
In an interview, Bonaccorso said he was “blindsided” by the allegations and that he could not recall using the N-word. He claimed he knew nothing about the recordings, which the settlement shows that Manata surrendered to the township.
Bonaccorso also repeatedly declined a reporter’s offer to play the recordings for him because he would best know his voice.
“I have many, many Black friends in my life, many of them; and employees here and everything else,” said Bonaccorso, 61. “I mean, I’ve been here for 22 years, never had a problem, and all of a sudden this is coming up? I find it offensive. I do.”
‘You chase that spook around?’
Manata’s draft lawsuit, prepared by attorney Patrick Toscano Jr. and dated Dec. 4, 2019, identifies the speakers on the recordings and offers descriptions of their conversations.
During one encounter at a busy diner, Bonaccorso was captured using the N-word when listing “things you don’t count on” during a conversation about a faulty furnace at police headquarters, according to the draft suit and a review of the recording.
Four months later, Bonaccorso was meeting with Manata when the mayor asked about a person he’d seen police pursuing that day, the draft suit said.
“You chase that spook around? What spook are you guys chasing around, with a red shirt?” Bonaccorso said on the recording, soon adding: “They was looking for some spook, walking around or something.”
In another encounter, Bonaccorso was discussing renovations at the new police headquarters with officers and township officials, the draft suit said. Talk turned to locker accommodations for women.
“As far as female cops go, I hope there is never any, but I can only take care while I’m here,” said Bonaccorso, Clark’s mayor since 2001. “They are all [expletive] disasters that I’ve seen.”
A ‘ransacked office’
Clark, population 15,500, is one of the least diverse towns in Union County, the Census shows, with 79% of its residents white and just 1.5% Black. Until recently, the 38-member police department did not have a single Black or female police officer, according to an NJ Advance Media review last year of police diversity.
Manata, who is of Portuguese descent, joined the force in 2007 after nearly a decade as a cop in Newark. The draft suit said he was “outspoken” against the racial and gender animus he encountered and began secretly recording what he considered the improper actions of his superiors as early as 2017.
“No one in power in Clark was able to control either defendant Bonaccorso or defendant Matos — it was that simple,” said the draft suit, which charged civil rights and whistleblower act violations, infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy.
During a brief telephone call recently, Manata declined to comment.
The draft suit claimed Matos and the other officers launched several “bogus” internal affairs investigations, beginning in February 2019, after Manata objected to the way the department was run. One such investigation concerned whether Manata had been candid about where he lived and whether his longtime home property was located in Clark or neighboring Linden, according to the draft suit and Toscano, his attorney, who called the allegation “absurd.”
The draft suit also claimed that after Manata threatened a lawsuit, the mayor convened a “settlement conference” in November 2019 “to speak about, deal with and settle all issues.” Two days later, on Thanksgiving Day, Matos, Concina, and Teston “ransacked” Manata’s office, “removing ceiling tiles, illegally searching cabinets, and illegally searching his computer,” the draft suit alleged.
NJ Advance Media attempted to reach Concina, 51, by phone, email and a letter sent to his home, but like the others, he did not respond.
The settlement agreement was inked on Jan. 29, 2020, nearly two months after Toscano’s draft lawsuit was dated. Manata, the three officers named as defendants, and the township’s then-business administrator signed the agreement.
Bonaccorso signed the document twice — both as mayor and as a private citizen.
According to the terms, the township admitted no wrongdoing and continued to “deny, dispute, and disclaim” the allegations. Manata received $275,000, and his lawyer Toscano received $125,000 for legal fees.
As a member of the department’s brass, Manata’s salary was about $140,000 a year. For the 25 months he was on paid administrative leave before retiring last month, he made $289,700, according to township records.
Under the settlement, Manata turned over the recordings, the draft lawsuit, and any notes he made, and he agreed that should he breach the agreement’s confidentiality requirements, he would be required to pay back the $275,000. The settlement also required Manata to provide the township with a sworn statement detailing all the materials he was turning over and attesting that he had relinquished his copies.
Clark agreed to halt any pending internal affairs investigations into Manata and allow him to stay on the payroll until he could retire with his full pension.
According to Toscano, the township asked to avoid litigation that would have brought the dispute into the public eye.
“Clark requested a settlement conference before the complaint was filed,” Toscano said. “That’s fact.”
Meeting minutes show that the Clark Council unanimously approved the settlement during a special meeting on Feb. 3, 2020. The minutes recorded no public discussion of what was described as “the insurance settlement of the Manata personnel dispute.”
On Tuesday evening, NJ Advance Media unsuccessfully sought comment from all seven of Clark’s council members.
‘We (expletive) hang the spooks up there’
Clark is no stranger to racially-charged controversy. In June 2020, Bonaccorso was at a Black Lives Matter rally when demonstrators asked him to declare that he was “pro-Black.”
“I am pro-Black for all the good Black people that I know in my life,” Bonaccorso responded, provoking jeers from the crowd. He later took to Facebook to say he had fallen short of what he meant to express and that the “answer is, of course, and unequivocally, yes.”
In January 2017, Clark’s high school girls basketball team was playing Plainfield, a city with a large Black, population when a black puppet was discovered hanging by the neck in a room assigned to Plainfield’s team. In the aftermath, Bonaccorso appeared before Plainfield City Council to apologize to anyone who was hurt and promise a full investigation. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office ultimately concluded that it was unclear whether it was a bias incident.
The recordings allegedly show Bonaccorso and Matos, the police chief, striking far different tones in private.
According to the draft suit, Matos and Manata were going through old evidence in storage in March 2019 when they came upon a box related to that incident.
“I’m thinking about reopening that case,” Matos said.
“Why?” Manata asked.
In July 2019, Bonaccorso was leaving the Clark Recreation Center after dealing with a power outage when a police officer noticed ropes hanging from the ceiling, according to the draft suit.
“We [expletive] hang the spooks up there,” Bonaccorso said, as laughter can be heard in the background. The discussion turned to the high school incident, which Bonaccorso called “such [expletive] bull----.”
He said the worst part of it: “How about I had to go to the Plainfield [expletive] council meeting in front of a room full of them and get up and talk about it?”
In his interview with NJ Advance Media, Bonaccorso said he attended the Plainfield meeting as a gesture of goodwill because he didn’t want anyone to think poorly of his community.
“I have no recall about that conversation whatsoever with Manata or anybody for that matter, because I went there on my own accord,” Bonaccorso said.
Bonaccorso suggested the recordings could have been altered, though he declined to listen to them. He also referred NJ Advance Media to the township’s attorney, Mark Dugan, who reporters provided with a summary of this article’s findings.
“Mayor Bonaccorso does not comment on unattributed or anonymous allegations,” a statement issued by Dugan said. “He does state that it is not his practice to speak in the manner described and that he does not recall doing so.
“During his tenure as mayor, Mayor Bonaccorso has treated and continues to treat everyone fairly, with justice and with dignity, and has never acted nor been found to have acted in any way in a discriminatory manner.”
‘I can’t verify ... anything’
In the interview, Bonaccorso was critical of Manata.
“I wouldn’t really reference anything from him anyhow,” Bonaccorso said. “He’s had problems everywhere he’s worked, so I don’t know what more I can tell you than that.”
Manata said he couldn’t speak when reached by phone, citing the settlement’s confidentiality requirements.
“I can’t verify or confirm or deny anything that is on any recordings,” Manata said. “My settlement agreement is very clear.”
Though Manata had been on paid leave since Jan. 29, 2020, his time on the payroll ended on Feb. 28 of this year, when he qualified for retirement after 25 years of service.
But Union County prosecutors are now seeking to prevent him from collecting his pension, according to Valerie Palma DeLuisi, another attorney representing Manata.
DeLuisi said the state pension board informed Manata that he would not receive his first pension payment as scheduled on April 1, given a pending internal affairs probe the prosecutor’s office is conducting that she said was unjustified.
She said the matter involves alleged departmental rule violations, which she would not detail. But she said they do not involve accusations of criminal behavior or other serious misconduct.
”I believe the prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into my client with impure motives,” DeLuisi said. “And that they are intentionally delaying the conclusion of the investigation into my client to prevent him from receiving the pension he rightfully earned.”
Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com.
S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com.
NJ Advance Media video producer Dwayne Uzoaru contributed to this report.
Union County Prosecutors Office Has Some Explaining
The Union County Prosecutors Office is going to have its hands full with this one. Their investigation into allegations in Clark began over a year or two ago.
If the UCPO was aware of these audio tapes and sat on them, allowing lawsuit payoffs and other settlements, someone has some explaining to do.
This brings into question the golden parachute pension payoff for corrupt police Chief David Wayman. Wayman was allegedly investigated by the UCPO for his role in a hit and run accident coverup and Wayman’s theft from the Westfield Police Department’s property/evidence room. Allegedly, no criminal charges or departmental charges were levied.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Sunday, January 30, 2022
Police Officer Charged
If only he worked in Westfield where corrupt Officer Leonard Lugo works.
He could steal, fabricate reports, lie, and still carry a badge and gun. Ain’t that right Leonard?
Or maybe, just maybe, if he were a corrupt police chief breaking into the police department’s evidence/property room to steel liquor and other property seized in search warrants, he’d just resign and not be charged Ain’t that right Dave Wayman?
Police officer charged with stalking after tracking device found on vehicle, authorities say
https://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/2022/01/police-officer-charged-with-stalking-after-tracking-device-found-on-vehicle-authorities-say.htmlThursday, January 20, 2022
Corrupt Westfield Police Sergeant Banks Bucks
NJ.com published a story documenting every New Jersey police officer salary including overtime and side job pay.
See link to Westfield:
https://projects.nj.com/paycheck/towns/westfield_town-union/
The link to the database of Westfield PD compensation, revealed that Sgt. Leonard Lugo, demoted from lieutenant in 2018 for his alleged role in police department thefts from the secured evidence/property room, earned more than Westfield Police Chief Chris Battiloro, both police captains Frank Padovano and John Ricerca, and most lieutenants.
Sgt. Lugo also authored the fabricated hit and run accident report involving disgraced ex-police chief David Wayman who was forced to resign in 2018 for his role in corruption uncovered by The Fact of The Matter and investigated by the Union County Prosecutors Office.
How can a Sgt. Leonard Lugo be trusted to supervise anyone? How can Sgt. Lugo ever testify in a court of law after his integrity and oath to protect and serve has been compromised?
Sgt. Leonard Lugo appears to have been rewarded for his alleged crimes with town officials remaining silent on why he was not terminated.
Full NJ. com story here: The true cost of policing
https://www.nj.com/data/2022/01/the-true-cost-of-policing.html
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