Follow Up on Executive Orders and Police Training Connected to OSC Investigation
NJ21st recieved an email from a Berkeley Heights resident after the publication of Mr. Samson’s article that included all of the Executive Orders signed by Mayor Devanney in 2024 and 2025. These documents appeared to be the product of an OPRA request submitted on 02/01/2025. Executive Orders Signed from 2024 through January 2025 As a follow-up to our January 17,...
Berkeley Heights Resident & Parent Expresses Concerns on OSC Police Training Report
Rekha Ahalya is a parent with children in the Berkeley Heights School District This week, we learned that Berkeley Heights police attended at least one training session conducted by an organization promoting tactics that contradict principles of diversity, inclusion, and equity. This underscores the critical need for oversight. Prism, initially voted down, was later approved after BOE members received additional...
Berkeley Heights Among 16 Union County Townships That Sent Police to Private Police Training by Organization that Promoted Unconstitutional Tactics
The NJ Office of the State Comptroller published a supplemental report to it’s original findings published 12/06/2023 on “Street Cop Training”. It found 240 law enforcement officers from NJ attended the six-day Conference in Atlantic City on October 2021. Among other things, OSC found: Instructors at the Conference promoted the use of unconstitutional policing tactics for motor vehicle stops; Some instructors...
OSC Exposes Double Standards in NJ State Police Practices
Image Credit: Mark Strozier The New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) conducted a detailed review of 500 motor vehicle stops by the New Jersey State Police (NJSP). The investigation revealed that in over 25% of these stops, motorists used courtesy cards, claimed personal connections to law enforcement, or displayed law enforcement badges to influence the outcome. These actions...
What the Berkeley Heights Massage Parlor “Breaking News” Tells Us About Power, Privilege and Hyperlocal News Blogs
-John Migueis A recent headline from a local news outlet brought a wave of attention to a police report: Police Chief William Ives reports the arrest of a 64-year-old female following an ongoing investigation into illicit activities at a local business. Changling Wang, who resided and worked at Qitopia Massage Spa on Springfield Avenue, was taken into custody by Berkeley...
Meeting With The Chief On Police Presence In Schools
Over the last few weeks, I have had several discussions with friends and neighbors on the issue of school safety – specifically police in schools. One of these discussions led to a meeting with the Chief of the Berkeley Heights Police Department, Jason Massimino, and two other parents who could not disagree with me more on this issue. There were...
A Loud Voice for Police in Schools
by John Leo & Laura Kapuscinski We support Police. Moreover, we support having an appropriately trained officer in each school with the primary responsibility of keeping our students and staff safe. The officers placed in schools are very specific and special for the school environment. A SRO (School Resource Officer) is a full-time police officer who is responsible for teaching...
Loud Voice Against Police In Schools
I will remain one of the “loud voices” against additional police in schools. One can support more police in schools, but to wonder out loud why anyone would be against it demonstrates a concerning lack of research on the topic. So here is going to be an unusual article coming from me. I support Dr. Varley’s decision not to make...
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