Prosecutor Takes Over Clark Police After Misconduct Allegations

CLARK, NJ — The Union County Prosecutor's Office is taking over the Clark Township Police following allegations of misconduct from top officials in the department. This will include taking control of the law enforcement and internal affairs functions.

"The residents of Clark Township deserve police leaders that meet the highest standards of the profession. We will conduct a full inquiry into credible allegations of misconduct, and at the same time we will continue to work with our local partners to build greater trust between Clark’s law enforcement officers and the community they serve," said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo on Thursday.

The UCPO will conduct a full investigation into the credible allegations with the help of the Attorney General's Office.

In the interim, UCPO Captain Harvey Barnwell will serve as Officer-in-Charge of the township’s police department. He will be assisted by UCPO Lieutenant Cassie Kim, who will be in charge of the department’s internal affairs unit, and UCPO Sergeant Andrew Dellaquila, who will provide support on a temporary basis.

Ruotolo will take over control of the police department’s law enforcement’s functions through a process known as "supersession," which permits the Prosecutor, as the county’s chief law enforcement officer, to supervise the law enforcement responsibilities of local police departments within the county.

Once the investigation is complete, the UCPO will release a report to the public.

Residents who have information relevant to the investigation are encouraged to contact Lt. Brian O’Malley of the UCPO Professional Standards Unit at 908-220-4323 or bomalley@ucnj.org or Det. Dennis Donovan of the UCPO Special Prosecutions Unit at 732-232-2049 or ddonovan@ucnj.org.

This is the second police department in the county that the UCPO has taken over in the past week. The UCPO took over the Fanwood Police Department after Police Chief Richard Trigo stepped down following an audio recording that appeared to reveal Trigo making alleged racist and sexist comments surfaced. Read More: Fanwood Police Chief Leaves After Alleged Racist, Sexist Comments

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