New Brunswick Police Are Investigating Water Utility

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The New Brunswick Police Department, along with other agencies, is investigating the city's troubled Water Utility, a police captain told the media Wednesday. The news comes after police officers seized a water meter given to a local reporter, who is writing an article about alleged corruption at the New Brunswick Water Utility. The reporter says the water meter was given to him by a source and proves the corruption; the city says it's stolen city property and may be integral to their own investigation.

"A private citizen’s investigation does not outweigh an investigation by law enforcement, especially when potential evidence related to serious criminal charges may be at stake," read a statement released by New Brunswick city spokeswoman, Jennifer Bradshaw. "If Mr. Kratovil’s assertion that this meter may very well have been involved in the criminal activity, which is the subject of a current investigation, hopefully his tampering with this potential evidence does not compromise the investigation."

New Brunswick Police Capt. Joseph T. Miller told NBC New York that the police department is currently among several agencies conducting a criminal investigation into the Water Utility. As Patch has reported, the New Brunswick Water Utility is plagued with problems: Two employees were arrested earlier this month for taking bribes, and a water inspector was arrested in 2015 for falsifying water quality reports.

"A criminal investigation kind of outweighs (a newspaper's investigation)," Miller said.

Past Patch coverage:

New Brunswick Police Seize Water Meter Given to Newspaper (VIDEO)

2 New Brunswick Water Employees Arrested

Lied About Testing New Brunswick's Drinking Water for Years, Prosecutors Say