Associated Press
WYCKOFF, N.J. — A prosecutor says a New Jersey police chief’s email explicitly violated a state directive prohibiting racial profiling.
In a 2014 email to his department, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox wrote that police should “check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods” because “black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff.”
Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal says his investigation determined that apart from the email, the police department did not endorse or encourage the practice of racial profiling. Officers have since received additional training.
Fox was suspended with pay in May after the 40-year law enforcement veteran agreed to go on administrative leave in March. Fox denied wrongdoing in internal emails.
The Record newspaper reports the township committee Tuesday approved a resolution calling for demoting Fox.
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