Wyckoff police chief vows legal action over demotion for ‘profiling’ email

Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox says that he will fight his recent demotion and extended suspension for an email he apparently sent his officers about racial profiling. The ACLU revealed a 2014 email

News 12 Staff

Aug 5, 2016, 4:32 AM

Updated 2,968 days ago

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Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox says that he will fight his recent demotion and extended suspension for an email he apparently sent his officers about racial profiling.
The ACLU revealed a 2014 email the chief wrote that says that profiling was appropriate when used correctly. As a result, the town demoted Fox to patrolman and extended his previous suspension without pay.
Fox and his attorneys say that they will fight these punishments.
"[Fox] said this or wrote this at a time in response to what his officers were dealing with in an attempt to have them do their job and be comfortable doing their job and do it the right way," says attorney Arthur Margeotes. "He didn't tell them to go out and racially profile people, absolutely not."
The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office investigated and found no actual acts of racial profiling. The email was strongly condemned, however.
Fox's attorneys say that in addition to fighting the punishments, they may also sue Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney.
"We view it as being deliberate and intentional by the mayor for his own selfish interests and the mayor may be responsible personally and by himself," attorney Britt Simon says.
Mayor Rooney tells News 12 New Jersey that he and the town council acted accordingly with the attorney general and prosecutor's guidelines.
The attorneys say that neither they nor the chief have been served with a notice of the demotion or suspension.