Saddle Brook Police Chief Facing Conspiracy, Misconduct Charges

SADDLE BROOK, NJ — The New Jersey Attorney General announced charges against Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler, who ordered on-duty officers to perform police escorts for his private business, the AG's Office said.

Kugler is charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and corruption of public resources for ordering those officers to use police department vehicles to perform police escorts for funerals at Kugler Funeral Home, which he owns, the AG's Office said.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office has taken over day-to-day operations at the department, and Kugler has been suspended. Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti will be in command of the department under the authority of Prosecutor Mark Musella, the Prosecutor's Office announced.

An investigation by the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability Corruption Bureau found that Kugler ordered officers to perform these escorts between January 2019 and August 2020. Use of police vehicles for escort services is prohibited by township ordinance except for municipal government escorts, or for non-profit organizations, according to the AG's Office.

These officers conducted escorts during their regular shifts, and escorted funeral processions to cemeteries both in and outside of Saddle Brook. Kugler Funeral Home didn't reimburse the township for these escorts, the AG's Office said.

Kugler faces prison time up to 10 years and fines in the range of $150,000. The second-degree charge of official misconduct carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kugler has served as the Chief of Police in Saddle Brook since 1995, making him the longest tenured chief since the department started in 1942.

He ran for Bergen County Sheriff in 2018 when he was defeated by Sheriff Anthony Cureton, but not before filing a lawsuit against the Bergen County Clerk's Office, claiming that the election was illegal, according to Northjersey.com.

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