Palisades Parkway Police Chief Bought Cocaine, Arrested: Official

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The chief of the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department was arrested Thursday after he picked up what he thought was cocaine he purchased online and had shipped to him, said acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo.

Michael J. Coppola, 43, of Totowa, was charged with attempting to possess cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia, Calo announced in a news release.

Coppola was arrested during an investigation by state, county, and federal authorities that revealed he was allegedly purchasing cocaine online and having it delivered to a post office box he maintained, Calo stated.

After Coppola purchased cocaine on the internet, detectives placed a package containing imitation cocaine in the post office box, the acting prosecutor stated.

Coppola picked up the package at the post office box Thursday, which he thought had cocaine inside, Calo stated. Coppola was arrested during a motor vehicle stop by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Route 80 East in Ridgefield Park, he said.

Calo's office last month painted a picture that the Palisades Interstate Park Police Department is reckless, chased people around needlessly, and awarded officers with the most with meal allowances in a report released last month, NorthJersey.com reported.

Coppola was suspended for three months as a result of the behavior, according to the report.

The cocaine possession charge is a third-degree offense. The drug paraphernalia charge is a disorderly persons offense.

Coppola is due in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack Aug. 22.

The investigation was conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the New Jersey Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Newark Division.

The police department has 26 sworn officers, including Coppola. Its duty is to protect all facilities owned and operated by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which operates the department.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Chief Michael J. Coppola, 43, of Totowa (Bergen County Prosecutor's Office)