Troy quits county plans are not clear
Saturday, December 30, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Former Jersey City Police Chief Robert Troy walked away from his $70,000-a-year job with Hudson County yesterday after six months on the job.

Troy served as the city's top cop from December 2004 to July 1 of this year before retiring with a $147,958 payout for unused time and began collecting his annual pension of $96,200 for his 24 years of service to the department.

After retiring, Troy was hired by the county as a confidential aide in the Administration and Finance Department.

Among other things, Troy's duties included coming up with ways to retain Hudson County sheriff's officers and cut overtime, along with serving as a consultant in the joint venture between the county and Jersey City to create a joint police academy.

But he won't be doing that anymore.

"Mr. Troy handed in his resignation, effective today," county spokesman Jim Kennelly said yesterday. "The county supports him and wishes him well."

Troy could not be reached for comment.

Sources said Troy had his eye on the position of chief of detectives in the Sheriff's Office all along but because a state law barred him from taking another law enforcement position within six months of retirement from the force, he was forced to wait.

This week would have been six months after his retirement, and it appears that the job was not his to have.

"We are evaluating a lot of qualified people right now, and we are holding off hiring someone for budget reasons," said Sheriff Joe Cassidy, adding that Troy is one of those people vying for the job.

Cassidy stressed that Troy did not work in his office, but said they talked occasionally about the police academy. He offered no other comments about the resignation.

Sources also told The Jersey Journal that Troy will likely end up in a position at City Hall, but Mayor Jerramiah Healy's spokeswoman, Maria Pignataro, disputed that.

"There are no plans for Robert Troy here," she said.