Before nominating DeFazio for sainthood and condeming the council to hell - here's another perspective:

http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/N ... -Time-Questioned/46$54819

According to this, DeFazio gave limited immunity to 8 cops, and based on evidence provided, the US Attorney's office declined to act.

So what would a council committee hope to discover or accomplish?

Quote:

Hey fat-ass Comey were you one the cops stealing from the system?
And why was there a vote 7-1 against starting an investigation - something stinks really bad here and it isn't the sewers.
This horse crap construction traffic duty that off duty police get is a shame - $35 plus per hour to lead on a pole or sit in their cars - they are a joke stealing from our taxes.

Just another reason City Hall and the cops have no credibility - I feel sorry for the 'good' cops that do the right thing.

06/23/2007

City Council will look into alleged misuse of 9/11 FEMA funds

Ordinance also introduced to set pay for off-duty police officers

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

The City Council at its June 13 meeting announced a probe into why police officers and firefighters might have been overpaid for work after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and introduced a measure to control what off-duty police officers earn for doing private security.

Regarding the first measure, the investigation will probe the alleged misuse of federal funds that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed to the city following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This comes after FEMA recently announced that it wanted Jersey City to return $2 million in emergency funding after an audit found that some police and fire officers had billed thousands of dollars in overtime payments.

However, the City Council will not look into any wrongdoing, but will instead assign a committee of council members to look only at policy and procedure that would have led to mistakes on how officers were paid.

They voted down a resolution by a 7-1 vote that would actually look into any wrongdoing.

In an unrelated measure, an ordinance was introduced establishing fees for off-duty police officers providing security for private employers.

In February of last year, the council tabled a similar ordinance to put a set rate on the amount per hour police officers can be paid when performing security work off-duty. At that time, police officers had a number of questions about the hourly rate, and about a provision in which officers would be docked $5 per hour of off-duty work to cover the city's administrative costs and expenses.

The re-introduced ordinance will get a second reading for possible council approval at their next meeting this coming Wednesday, which starts at 6 p.m.

What kind of investigation?

City Councilman Steven Fulop introduced the resolution at the June 13 City Council meeting to look into the alleged misuse of FEMA funds. Fulop said that Hudson County Prosecutor Edward J. DeFazio had announced that there should be such a committee to look into any administrative misconduct, such as submitting false or exaggerated requests for payment, although DeFazio's office found no criminal misconduct when they looked into the matter.

"Ed DeFazio said it's the right thing to do; the business administrator [Brian O' Reilly] when I had a conversation with him said it was the right thing to do - everybody says it's the right thing to do," Fulop said.

Fulop went on to accuse some council members, without naming them, of voting down the resolution because some of the police officers and firefighters in question were political supporters of those council members.

City Council President Mariano Vega also supported an investigative committee, but called for a look at what he claimed was "administrative oversight" rather than intentional wrongdoing that may have allowed for police officers and firefighters to over-bill.

Vega took a shot at FEMA, citing their wasteful spending and overall poor handling of emergencies, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He said FEMA was "no golden star when it comes to protecting the public."

Vega also defended the use of the 9/11 funds in Jersey City, pointing out that late Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham used them to deploy authorities for protection of mosques and other target spots within the city.

Legislation for off-duty police returns

A new ordinance pertaining to off-duty Jersey City police officers will set down regulations dictating their off-duty detail service and their payment for it.

An earlier ordinance for off-duty officers was proposed early last year by former Police Chief Robert Troy to get the Police Department in compliance with guidelines put down by the state Attorney General's Office.

Off-duty police officers who provide security at construction sites between the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. will earn $35 per hour with an additional $10 per hour earned after 4 p.m. Weekend and holiday work is time-and-a-half.

Officers working at malls would earn $35 per hour with no overtime after-hours, weekends, and holidays.

Single stores and various non-profit and civic organizations will get them $25 per hour without any overtime.

Festivals and parades are $50 per hour. Working at movie sets is $45 per hour with $10 more per hour after 4 p.m.

Officers working off-duty outside an establishment licensed to serve liquor are paid $50 per hour.

Off-duty officers will be paid out of a trust fund, to be established by the city, known as the "Off-Duty Employment Trust Account," funded by the private employers retaining the off-duty officers.

The ordinance also stipulates that officers "shall be permitted to accept police-related employment for private employers" and "only during off-duty hours," for which they will have to obtain the approval from the chief of police.

Any requests for off-duty officers for service of one week or longer has to be forwarded to the chief of police 10 days in advance. Requests for less than a week of service have to be made 24 hours prior.

And as in the previous incarnation of this ordinance, officers will be docked $5 per hour for the city's expenses.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

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These 3 paragraphs above, sums it all up for me.

Politicians, Police, Money and JC = equals Mismanagement, Misappropriation and Nepotism.

We might have ethical committees, internal affairs and policing bodies, but its all just a PR exercise and charade that will blow over in a few days with no accountabilty or changes.

9/11 cops overtime probe won't have subpoena power

Friday, June 15, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

By a 7-1 vote, the Jersey City City Council has rejected a call by Councilman Steve Fulop for a special council subcommittee to investigate claims the city misappropriated $2 million in federal funds in the months after 9/11.

Instead of the formal committee Fulop requested - which would have had subpoena powers - City Council President Mariano Vega appointed a three-member ad hoc committee to meet with law enforcement agencies that have already looked into the allegations.

"In typical Jersey City fashion, these persons like private back rooms to figure out what to do with the taxpayer dollar," Fulop fumed after Wednesday's City Council meeting.

"What I'm saying is people took advantage of a horrible situation," Fulop added, talking about the $2.08 million the Federal Emergency Management Agency claims the city spent outside of FEMA's spending guidelines. "Let's formalize that (committee) and (investigate) it publicly."

Nearly half of the money was spent on overtime payments to police officers - $100,000 of which went to three officers.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio has encouraged the council to investigate the issue in order to dole out appropriate administrative discipline.

Vega said the ad hoc committee would focus on policy and procedures, which he said is at the heart of FEMA's complaints.

"If it was this (current) administration," Vega said, he would be inclined to establish a formal council committee with subpoena powers. "But this was two mayors ago."

During the council debate Fulop suggested some of his colleagues were reluctant to investigate since some of the police officers involved worked on their campaigns.

After the meeting Fulop singled out Lt. Edgar Martinez, who has campaigned for Vega. Martinez earned thousands of dollars in 9/11 overtime.

"That has nothing to do with (my decision)," Vega responded.

Martinez said Fulop had asked him to support him for higher office, but he turned him down. "I'd like to know what his motives are now," Martinez said.

Nonplused, Fulop said he's never asked Martinez for his support and hasn't spoken to him in two years. "Maybe it was someone who looked like me," Fulop said.

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Thanks a lot, I just vomited my morning cereal - 'City Council investigation', that's just so funny but scary.

DeFazio on board with OT probe

Jersey Journal
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio says he fully supports Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop's call for the City Council to investigate overtime abuses in the Jersey City police and fire departments that followed shortly after 9/11.

Reacting to a story that appeared earlier in the week in The Jersey Journal quoting Fulop being critical of his office - which investigated the matter and concluded no crimes had been committed - DeFazio said administrative discipline of workers "who took advantage of the situation" should be pursued.

DeFazio said the standard for his office to pursue an indictment is guilt beyond doubt, while the standard for administrative discipline is a preponderance of evidence.

"I think administrative charges could be appropriately made under these circumstances," DeFazio said.

"I agree with Councilman Fulop," DeFazio said, adding he hoped a City Council investigation "would clear the air."

KEN THORBOURNE