Roselle’s embattled police chief is threatening to sue the borough, eight months after he was relieved of duty amid accusations he made graphic homophobic remarks to his officers.
In a legal filing Tuesday, Police Chief Stacey Williams claimed he was the victim of retaliation by Roselle’s mayor and other township officials, charging they targeted him because he rebuffed their attempts to interfere in the police department.
“I am exhausted,” Williams wrote in the intent-to-sue notice. “After all my years of dedicated service, I am being treated like a pariah and a criminal.”
In March, the borough notified Williams, a 31-year veteran of the force, that it is seeking to fire him following an internal affairs investigation by the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
Williams has been suspended since August, with an attorney for the local Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, saying he was accused of “reprehensible conduct” that included “homophobic terminology.”
But in his notice, Williams insisted the disciplinary charges he faces are “bogus” and reflect “mere jokes with another officer.” He maintained that the effort to oust him stemmed from disputes over his leadership — from his refusal to fix a parking ticket for Mayor Donald Shaw’s brother-in-law to his decision to cancel lucrative side jobs that officers use to boost their pay.
The filing also recounted a profanity-laden conversation that Williams’ replacement as acting chief, Capt. Helder Freire, allegedly had with another Union County chief about the investigation.
“The chief f---ed us out of side jobs, so this is our way of f---ing him back!” Freire allegedly said.
Roselle officials, including Freire, Shaw and Borough Administrator T. Missy Balmir, did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment. A spokesman for Roselle has previously called Williams’ employment “an HR matter” that officials would not discuss.
Williams, appointed chief in 2021, is suspended without pay from his $210,800-a-year job. His attorney, Patrick Toscano, said the internal affairs charges are politically motivated.
“The harmless remarks made by the chief were entirely jocular in nature, referring to a friend on the job, who took no umbrage whatsoever at same,” Toscano said in a statement. “Anyone who knows Chief Williams knows that he is the most inoffensive, unoffending person you can meet.”
The investigation against Williams was launched amid complaints by Roselle’s police union of “ongoing abusive, retaliatory, and bizarre behavior” by him. In a letter to the borough in July, local PBA attorney Peter Paris charged morale at the department was at an all-time low.
Paris cited a series of disputes between Williams and union representatives that he said culminated that month when the chief canceled outside road details, in which officers earn extra money from contractors during construction work or special events.
“Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly of all, it has come to my attention that Chief Williams has routinely used derogatory, homophobic terms in reference to gay people, including use of the ‘f-word,’” Paris wrote. “Chief Williams has historically expressed a lack of tolerance for gay people.”
On Wednesday, Paris declined to comment.
Williams’ notice seeks $750,000 to cover his loss of employment, damage to his prospective pension and legal fees. It represents a procedural first step in a potential lawsuit against the borough, with Williams listing a host of run-ins with officials both during his tenure as chief and in the years before his appointment.
Williams accused the borough of understaffing his department, saying it wouldn’t allow him to hire clerical staff to address delays in the processing of gun permits. He said he ended road details because he needed those officers to help address the backlog.
“Every time I legitimately requested help, I was improperly rebuffed and denied,” Williams wrote. He said officials “wanted me gone because of my legitimate requests and complaints about their constant interference in the police department and my ability to run same without their improper input.”
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Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com.
