JACKSON – Township Officials spoke up in support of the police department during its last council meeting referencing a sign seen in social media that was carried by a participant of a recent Black Lives Matters protest held in June.
Councilman Martin Flemming brought up the subject during the council’s June 23 meeting which was the governing body’s first live session and which featured an audience.
Flemming said, “I’d like to welcome everyone back to a live meeting. It is much nicer. A short while ago many people of Jackson participated in a peaceful protest at Johnson Park, while I wasn’t in attendance, I am friendly with many of those who had attended and several who spoke and I understand it was an entirely peaceful process.”
Flemming added however, “one sign that was displayed that I saw on social media caught my eye, it stated ‘not all cops are racists but all Jackson cops are.’ This bothered me. I have been part of emergency services in town for 44 years. I have been at many, many scenes with our police officers. Some were funny and light hearted, others were deathly unfunny.”
“In-40 plus years I have seen our men and women handle themselves in many ways – professional, courteous, kind and understanding. I’ve never once seen it matter to what the person they were helping looked like,” the councilman added.
“Most people meet officers when they are not having a good day. Sometimes that bad day starts when flashing lights go on behind your car. Sometimes they meet them on the worst day of your life,” Flemming said. “Even during this terrible time, I see our police officers go above and beyond. I’ve seen our officers in various situations and I’ve seen them at play at many charitable events some of which I played on with them and some on teams against them.”
The councilman noted that he knew every member of the police department in the township. “Most are acquaintances. Some of which I have been fortunate enough to count as friends. They are a group of people that I am proud to have protect our community and I want them to know they have my gratitude for doing an impossible job that is well done. I want them to know that they have my total support,” Flemming concluded.
Council President Alex Sauickie welcomed everyone back and thanked residents for their patience as the council worked through the restrictions of COVID-19 in the last several months. “It is good to be back in the same room. It is a much better way of doing things.”
Sauickie added his support to the police department adding that members of the department had responded recently to a rare occurrence which was a murder that occurred.
“I could not agree with Councilman Flemming’s comments more. Our police department working with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office made an arrest in that case within 24 hours and our condolences to the family of the 23-year-old resident of the town. The person arrested was not from our town,” Sauickie said.
“Our police force – as many up here have said – are second to none. I hope we don’t see another case like this in a very long time. We are one of the safest towns in the state,” he added.
It was the first full meeting for newly appointed Councilman Steven Chisholm who took the oath of office at the council’s prior meeting. He remarked that it was “good to be here for my official first full meeting. I am looking forward to working with the council and I am glad to see real live residents here and thanks for coming.”
In recent months the governing body has been meeting virtually through Zoom due to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a May 12 meeting the council introduced two ordinances that would repeal prior ordinances of the township. Both were stated to be redundant by members of council and Township Attorney Gregory McGuckin.
One ordinance was approved since that meeting which involved the restriction of dormitories within applications to build schools. The second ordinance involving rescinding an ordinance designating where schools could be built in the township was tabled.
Officials stated that the decision to table that ordinance was made in order to await further word from the NJ Department of Justice.
That agency had initiated a lawsuit against the township alleging anti-Semitism concerning denials of applications of projects that included dormitories.
Sauickie said “I had mentioned that we were working with the Department of Justice regarding the factual inaccuracies of their complaint. We only just received a response back recently so we are going to give our attorneys some additional time to have those discussions (with the DOJ) so we will table it.”
“It will not be on the agenda tonight. We are not postponing it indefinitely,” Sauickie added.
