Politics & Government
Wyckoff Committee Formally Suspends Police Chief Amid Racial Profiling Investigation
Fox had been on paid administrative leave since March. He stepped down after an email in which he condones racial profiling was made public.
WYCKOFF, N.J. — The Township Committee voted Tuesday night to formally suspend police Chief Benjamin C. Fox while the state continues to investigate a 2014 email he sent in which he said racial profiling “has a place in law enforcement.”
“In order to maintain the safety, health, order, or effective direction of public services in Wyckoff, of the department, Wyckoff has determined that Chief Fox should be immediately suspended with pay,” a resolution approving the suspension read.
The five-member committee unanimously approved the resolution, The Record reported.
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Fox, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, requested to go on administrative leave March 22 after the American Civil Liberties Union released an email in which Fox condoned the use of racial profiling, saying that profiling, “racial or otherwise,” has a place in law enforcement if applied “fairly” ad that “black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That’s why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods.”
Related: Wyckoff Police Chief Steps Down Amid Racial Profiling Investigation
Find out what's happening in Wyckofffor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the state Attorney General’s office are investigating Fox.
A copy of the email was sent anonymously to the ACLU’s New Jersey branch. The organization quickly called for Fox to resign. The Bergen County chapter of the NAACP has also advocated for more diversity within the department’s ranks.
Fox said in another email to township officials that he was not “endorsing racial profiling for the wrong reasons.”
National rhetoric may be causing police officers to be afraid to do their job,” Fox said in the March 21 email. He referenced incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and “other places where there were interactions between police and citizens.”
Capt. Timothy Condon of the prosecutor’s office has been monitoring the department while Fox has been away. Condon is responsible for ensuring the officers do not engage in racial profiling.
Lt. Charles VanDyk is the officer in charge of the department in Fox’s absence.
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Chief Benjamin C. Fox, fourth from left. — Patch file photo
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