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October 6, 2008 19:07:57
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Law enforcement needs credibility
Monday, October 06, 2008
I f the charges prove true, it is a sad episode for Hudson County law enforcement.
On Thursday, two former sheriff's officers and a captain in the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office appeared in Morris County after being indicted on official misconduct and other charges. It is alleged that they falsified records to help a bounty hunter inflate the amount of money he could collect - and they received a cut.
In other words, their greed led to an alleged betrayal of their oath of office when they were accused of arranging for a bounty hunter to take false credit for capturing people who skipped on their court-imposed bail and were then apprehended by law enforcement. This allowed the bounty hunter to collect a fee on the bail and to allegedly kick back some of the money to co-conspirators.
Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Capt. Kenneth Sisk, 48, of Bayonne; former Hudson County Sheriff's Officer Capt. William Chadwick, 52, of Keansburg, and former Sheriff's Officer Alberto Vasquez, 39, of Apex, N.C., and others are expected to have their day in court. They could each face 10 years imprisonment and $150,000 in fines for the more serious second-degree crimes of official misconduct and conspiracy.
While the state prosecutor is expected to have documentation for evidence, one problem is that some witnesses may be less than savory characters. Angel Santos of Jersey City is expected to testify for the prosecution. Santos pleaded guilty to killing a man in Hudson County last year and burglary, and faces criminal restraint charges in Atlantic City.
Santos had worked as a bounty hunter along with Adel Mikhaeil, the bounty hunter who is the focus of the case against the three Hudson County law enforcement figures. Mikhaeil and associate Trevor Williams, both of Jersey City, were also indicted in the conspiracy.
What Hudson County officials should take from this is that they must come up with a system - perhaps regularly auditing, fact-checking and comparing arrest and court records - to prevent similar charges from being brought in the future. While Sheriff Juan Perez has only recently taken office and none of the men involved worked under Perez, fair or unfair, the reputation of the Sheriff's Office has taken a hit.
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