Prosecutor Installs Monitor At Asbury Park Police Department

ASBURY PARK, NJ — The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has now installed an on-site monitor at the Asbury Park Police Department, effective last week.

This is due to the recent increase in Asbury Park police officers filing internal affairs complaints against each other, said Monmouth Prosecutor Raymond Santiago.

The Prosecutor’s Office is charged with maintaining oversight over every municipal police department in Monmouth County.

The increase in internal affairs complaints in Asbury Park PD began in March 2023, and has escalated "precipitously" recent months, said a spokesman for the prosecutor.

“Given the sheer volume of internal complaints, this office felt that it would be prudent to assist the department during this critical time, to make certain the officers in Asbury Park have the necessary time to devote to their primary function (ensuring the safety of the Asbury Park community) and also to investigate these complaints in a fair and consistent manner in order to determine the root of any problems that exist within one of the county’s biggest and busiest departments,” Prosecutor Santiago said.

The monitor was selected from the investigative ranks of the county prosecutor's office and will be present at random intervals at Asbury Park PD for the foreseeable future.

“We are greatly limited in what we are able to say publicly with regard to specific matters involving internal affairs investigations, pending litigation, or a combination of both,” said Santiago. “What we can say with great emphasis is that this office takes any and every allegation reported to our internal affairs personnel with the utmost seriousness. However, neither the mere presence of these complaints or the action of installing a monitor presupposes that we find such allegations to be truthful or credible. We have been, are now, and will remain steadfastly committed to investigating each and every allegation with due diligence.”

Asbury Park Police Chief David Kelso added: “In the interest of remaining transparent, the Asbury Park Police Department has and will continue to cooperate in this matter.”