The police chief of Dover Township in Morris County has filed a lawsuit to stop the mayor from eliminating his position and replacing him with a civilian public safety director.
Chief Jonathan Delaney claims in court papers that Democratic Mayor James Dodd is trying to make good on a campaign promise to “clean house” by removing Delaney before the chief’s contract expires on Dec. 31, 2029.
Dodd was mayor for three terms before losing in the 2019 primary. He was re-elected in 2023, in part on a promise to remove Delaney.
Dodd did not immediately respond to a voicemail and email seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Delaney’s complaint, filed Thursday in Superior Court of Morris County, alleges that the mayor claimed the chief has done a “poor job” and called the decision to award him a new contract “ridiculous.”
The suit claims Dodd began retaliating against Delaney when the chief refused to endorse Dodd for mayor six years ago, according to the suit.
The suit claims Dodd has slandered Delaney at council meetings, undermined his authority and attempted to gain access to the police department’s surveillance systems.
Retaliatory and harassing acts he claims to have endured include revoking the police chief’s town hall key fob, deactivating his gasoline key, cutting off his WiFi access, and accusing him of misconduct on social media.
The lawsuit alleges the mayor further violated the chief’s civil rights after Delaney reported him to local and state officials, including the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
The suit alleges violations of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act, state whistleblower laws, and claims Delaney has been defamed.
The suit says the mayor is behind the passage of an ordinance that would eliminate the position of police chief and instead establish a civilian public safety director.
The lawsuit was filed days after Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll wrote to Dodd, telling him the ordinance should be revised.
“To be clear, this office takes no position on the town’s desire to eliminate the position of chief of police,” Carroll wrote.
“However, it appears to me that the power which the town seeks to vest upon its civilian PSD through passage of this ordinance goes well beyond what is permissible,” Carroll wrote.
In a letter on Wednesday to Dodd, council members and the community, the Morris County Police Chiefs Association called Dodd’s proposal an attempt to weaponize state and local authorities against Delaney.
“Their weaponization of the internal affairs process is meant to bully and intimidate council members, residents and employees for the purpose of attaining their personal agenda,” the letter said.
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