Caldwell’s 2 Female Cops Have Both Sued Police Chief: Report

CALDWELL, NJ — The Borough of Caldwell has 22 officers who patrol 1.2 square miles. Out of the entire force, only two officers are female. And both have filed lawsuits against the town’s police chief for allegedly making lewd sexual comments about them to other officers, according to a recent report.

Officer Jessica Luszcz is accusing Caldwell Police Chief James Bongiorno of making crude and offensive sexual remarks about her, in addition to “alienating” her from the rest of the department and unfairly promoting her male counterparts, NJ.com reported Wednesday. (Read the full article here)

According to Luszcz, the alleged remarks included:

• “She has great boobs.”
• “I would love to do dirty things to her.”
• “She has to be a freak in bed.”

Caldwell Borough Attorney Gregory Mascera called Luszcz’s lawsuit against Bongiorno “meritless” and said that the chief’s alleged comments are “fabricated fantasy,” NJ.com stated.

Mascera provided the following statement about Luszcz’s allegations:

“The complaining officer has never expressed any concerns to anyone at the borough about the alleged actions despite police department policy that seeks such information in writing semi-annually… Anyone who knows Chief Jim Bongiorno knows that the comments attributed to him can be only fabricated fantasy.”

Bongiorno graduated from William Paterson University and trained at the Morris County Police Academy. He was hired by the in December 1996 as the agency's first alternate route officer. Along the way, he earned a master's degree in Human Resources Training and Development from Seton Hall University.

Bongiorno was promoted to the rank of chief in 2011, sergeant in 2003 and lieutenant in 2008. He previously told Patch that as a young man, he was drawn to a career in law enforcement because he liked the idea of being out and about and helping people.

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Luszcz isn’t the first officer to accuse Bongiorno of making gender or ethnic slurs and retaliating against their complaints. The chief was also named in a 2017 lawsuit from the only other female officer on the force, Candice Marinaro, who claimed that he harassed and discriminated against her by making crude sexual remarks, NJ.com reported.

Marinaro was commended for her role in a 2011 child pornography arrest involving the owner of a Livingston security company.

A internal CPD investigation cleared Bongiorno of Marinaro's accusations in 2017, finding them to be "without merit." The investigation cost Caldwell taxpayers $11,000, Mascera told The Progress.

In 2016, Caldwell Police Lt. Michael Geary – the department’s first Asian-American officer – filed notice of his intent to sue the department, claiming that he suffered under a "hostile work environment" under Bongiorno that included ethnic slurs, such as jokes about his last name, which he legally changed from Fung after joining the force.

In addition, Geary accused the police chief of making ethnic and sexually derogatory comments about Marinaro, and retaliating against her complaints by making the only women's bathroom in the Caldwell Police Department a unisex one, writing her up for calling out sick and checking on her whereabouts on patrol by following her around in his police vehicle, TAP Into West Orange stated.

The department later slapped Geary with insubordination charges when he allegedly refused to turn in his badge, ID and key fob when given a notice of leave.

• See related article: Caldwell Police Seek Suspension For Cop Who Alleged Discrimination

During a 2011 ceremony, Bongiorno lauded Geary's accomplishments along with other promoted officers, saying that Geary was "well suited" to serve as a CPD sergeant and was an "excellent communicator."

• See related article: Caldwell Settles $30K Lawsuit With Local Family Over Police Searches

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Photo: CPD

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