spokenword
01-24-2008, 10:32 AM
Plainfield police chief post likely to be eliminated
by By Alexi Friedman/The Star-Ledger
Thursday January 24, 2008, 6:21 AM
Joe Epstein/The Star-Ledger
Plainfield Police Cheif Edward Santiago in this December 2006 photo.
The Plainfield City Council will likely approve a resolution tonight eliminating the position of chief of police, part of a police reorganization plan that also would give the public safety director greater authority over the department.
A simple majority is needed for the seven-member council to support the administration's layoff plan, officials said.
The plan would require the current police chief, Edward Santiago, 57, to either accept a position as captain or retire. Should it pass, the proposal will be submitted to the state Department of Personnel for approval, Administrator Marc Dashield said. If the state signs off, an ordinance must then be created to eliminate the rank of police chief, again by council majority.
The police reorganization plan, which Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig outlined to the council in a June PowerPoint presentation, would likely not take effect until April, officials said.
A police director would replace the police chief, and be in charge of day-to-day operations, reporting directly to the public safety director, Dashield said. Under the new plan, he added, the police director would be less autonomous with more accountability than the current chief. The reorganization would also reshuffle manpower and responsibilities for the city's 152-member police force, assigning more officers to street patrols, Hellwig said in his June presentation.
Chief Santiago, who has held the position for eight years and is a 32-year police veteran, has butted heads with Mayor Sharon Robinson Briggs and with Hellwig on several occasions. Santiago has been suspended twice in two years; he appealed both times and is still fighting the most recent action.
Patricia Brueninger, one of Santiago's attorneys, said Wednesday the chief opposes the move.
by By Alexi Friedman/The Star-Ledger
Thursday January 24, 2008, 6:21 AM
Joe Epstein/The Star-Ledger
Plainfield Police Cheif Edward Santiago in this December 2006 photo.
The Plainfield City Council will likely approve a resolution tonight eliminating the position of chief of police, part of a police reorganization plan that also would give the public safety director greater authority over the department.
A simple majority is needed for the seven-member council to support the administration's layoff plan, officials said.
The plan would require the current police chief, Edward Santiago, 57, to either accept a position as captain or retire. Should it pass, the proposal will be submitted to the state Department of Personnel for approval, Administrator Marc Dashield said. If the state signs off, an ordinance must then be created to eliminate the rank of police chief, again by council majority.
The police reorganization plan, which Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig outlined to the council in a June PowerPoint presentation, would likely not take effect until April, officials said.
A police director would replace the police chief, and be in charge of day-to-day operations, reporting directly to the public safety director, Dashield said. Under the new plan, he added, the police director would be less autonomous with more accountability than the current chief. The reorganization would also reshuffle manpower and responsibilities for the city's 152-member police force, assigning more officers to street patrols, Hellwig said in his June presentation.
Chief Santiago, who has held the position for eight years and is a 32-year police veteran, has butted heads with Mayor Sharon Robinson Briggs and with Hellwig on several occasions. Santiago has been suspended twice in two years; he appealed both times and is still fighting the most recent action.
Patricia Brueninger, one of Santiago's attorneys, said Wednesday the chief opposes the move.