Your Turn
Police department transparency is needed
Michael Fisher
Guest Column

The vengeance-inspired conspiracy between former Police Chief Edward Costello and former Mayor George Spadoro for Costello to retire and Spadoro to appoint a new chief before leaving office is something that should have made every citizen's blood boil. While perfectly legal - as with so many other things - it was in fact morally wrong and obviously designed to give a parting shot to the people of Edison for not re-electing Spadoro and to Jun Choi for defeating him.

Although I didn't vote for Jun Choi, he was duly and properly elected and should have been given the respect to make such an important decision. Their actions speak volumes as to their lack of respect for the people and morally bankrupt ways that have plagued Edison for so many years.

While I do have something of a problem with the manner of George Mieczkowski's appointment, he is the police chief and seems to be working hand in hand with Mayor Choi to reform the years of mismanagement under Costello and Spadoro. From a moral standpoint, he seems to be an unwitting part of Costello and Spadoro's revenge, but I don't specifically link him to their plot or condemn him for accepting the job out of hand. It seems he really does want to reform the police department and should be given the opportunity to do so.

Part of that reform must be in the form of transparency. Good or bad, the people have a right to know everything that's going on within the department. When officers are being investigated or disciplined, we the people have a right to know exactly what is happening and what has transpired. The police cannot be fully trusted unless we know that wrongdoing on their part will be at least as vehemently investigated and dealt with as it is with the general public. The only way to achieve that is by transparency.

Unfortunately, there are those who believe that any condemnation or criticism of the police is "un-American" and should probably be a crime. The recent rally at town hall by the police union, members of the police department and their families calling for Mayor Choi's resignation over the investigation into a possible conspiracy within the department surrounding the arrest of Rajnikant Parikh by federal agents at a previous rally clearly demonstrates certain people's feeling that the police should be, by definition, beyond reproach and supported no matter what. Of course most all those in attendance have some sort of vested interest in keeping the status quo.

There are those who will counter with the fact that the Indian-Asian community had called for Officer Michael Dotro's immediate suspension without pay over the original July 4 incident. Well, that's wrong too. Everyone has a right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and that goes for the police as well. Two wrongs do not make a right. Those are things both sides need to consider and accept.

As far as the public being advised of the investigation into who within the police department cooperated with the federal agents, that is absolutely a correct course of action. Again, transparency is vital to Chief Mieczkowski's and Mayor Choi's success.

I'm really sort of at a loss to understand exactly what problem the union and those in attendance at the rally have with the investigation, unless they knowingly have something to hide. No individual officers have even been named. As the front-page article in the Aug. 16 edition of the Sentinel pointed out, other recent investigations have been public with no call for secrecy on the part of the union. What's different now?

Perhaps Michael Schwarz, president of Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 75, and his staff and supporters are realizing that the good old days of blind faith and silent obedience on the part of the public and politicians toward the police may be coming to an end. Only time will tell. Sooner or later we'll hopefully have the answer as to why they are so upset about this investigation. I believe they're focusing on the public notification to deflect from the fact that they probably don't want the investigation at all, but can't find a way to justify that.

Although the federal warrant for Mr. Parikh's arrest had nothing to do with Edison, I personally believe there was a conspiracy within the department to have him arrested. Possibly there were those who wanted to further discredit him in the eyes of the public since Officer Dotro was cleared of wrongdoing. It reeks of revenge and overkill, and anyone who engages in such activity loses all credibility.

However, Mr. Parikh and his supporters must realize that while the timing, motive and method employed in his arrest is certainly suspect, the arrest itself was justified and long overdue. He was hiding from a deportation order that should have been executed years ago. But that still does not justify targeting him at a rally that was in support of him. He wasn't hard to find.

I would ask Mr. Schwarz and his supporters what they think about the fact that if I were arrested for something, my name and the charge would be made public before I'm even tried. Let's see them denounce that practice, and then maybe we'll say they're being fair and balanced. As a union member myself, I do recognize Mr. Schwarz's responsibility to his membership to jealously defend and represent them. However, he must realize that he's not representing truck drivers or warehouse workers. His members have tremendous power and authority over the general public, who pay a high tax price for their employment. They have the right to know they can call on them to do their jobs professionally and without fear of reprisal if they disagree with them or choose to file a complaint if wrongdoing occurs.

Our society and government ultimately revolves around civilian authority. The police and military do no exist to be the government, but to support the duly elected government and the people within the confines of laws created by elected officials. From the president on down to council members, elected officials make the laws that we must all abide by.

That's not to say that dissenting or protesting should be banned. Absolutely not! It's one of the cornerstones of our democracy. To denounce Mayor Choi for allegedly calling for the investigation into the incident, however, is ridiculous and merely a thinly veiled attempt at misdirection. He is the mayor. However, Chief Mieczkowski has made it clear that he initiated the investigation on his legal authority. Whether or not Mayor Choi asked for it is irrelevant.

Michael Fisher is a resident of Edison.