Top Cop Placed On Leave For 'I'd Like To Kill Her' Comment

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ — Chief of Police Michael Cioffi was placed on a paid leave of absence from his job after recording himself saying he would like to kill the borough council president.

Mayor Mario Kranjac said Wednesday that administrative charges were filed against Cioffi and three other officers who were on the recording.

Kranjac said officials cannot find Cioffi and are seeking the return of his police gun, badge, and vehicle.

"He is on leave and technically shouldn't have any of those," Kranjac said.

Cioffi's leave is indefinite until all charges filed against him have been adjudicated, Kranjac said.

Kranjac said officials are trying to hire an independent hearing officers to ensure everyone's rights are respected in the matter. A special Borough Council meeting regarding Kranjac and other matters will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, he said.

The suspension comes a week after Carrol McMorrow, the Borough Council president, played a recording during the Sept. 26 council meeting in which Cioffi said he would like to kill her. (See related: Listen: Englewood Cliffs Top Cop Said He'd Like To Kill Official)

McMorrow and Kranjac could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

"I'd like to kill her, but I can't do that," Cioffi said in the recording. "I look at "Shawshank Redemption" and say, 'Hmmmm.'"

McMorrow acquired the tape during the discovery phase of a lawsuit Cioffi brought against the borough. It was not marked confidential.

McMorrow said Cioffi "has long had a disdain" for her because of her political beliefs and for "my speaking out for what I believe is right.

McMorrow said during the meeting that Cioffi made the tape on Jan. 4, 2017 while speaking to a borough employee. A woman can be heard on the recording laughing. (McMorrow can be heard on the tape beginning at about the 10:30 mark in a video of the meeting.)

"These remarks are highly inappropriate and distressing coming from any public employee let alone the chief of police who is permitted to carry a firearm and directs the operations of the Police Department," McMorrow said in a statement to Patch earlier this week.

Mayor Mario Kranjac said during the Sept. 26 meeting that Cioffi made the tapes "during work time" using a borough-owned tape recorder, which he was slow to return to the borough.

Kranjac demanded the recorder back in writing three times and the borough administrator demanded it as well. Kranjac filed criminal charges against Cioffi to get it back.

Cioffi is suing the mayor for allegedly going beyond his powers for forcing him to use his banked vacation time rather than having the borough pay out about $300,000 when he retires, according to an NJ.com article. McMorrow also sued Cioffi for retaliation in December 2017. Her husband is the former deputy chief of the Englewood Police Department.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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