Suspended Wyckoff police chief to retire

WYCKOFF — Former Wyckoff police chief Benjamin Fox, who was suspended in August after an email surfaced in which he appeared to condone racial profiling, has resigned from the department and will retire effective Dec. 1, according to an agreement released by township officials Wednesday.

Fox, who was suspended and demoted after the email became public, agreed to resign on Nov. 15, according to the agreement. He was to submit a retirement application dated Dec. 1 to the New Jersey Division of Pensions and his 180-day suspension without pay, which began on Aug. 5, will be "deemed fully satisfied" as of Nov. 15, the agreement states.

There were, however, no details about the conditions of Fox's retirement, the pension he would receive or what other benefits he would keep or sacrifice in signing the approval.

Fox came under fire in March after the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey made public a 2014 email that had been anonymously sent to the organization. In the email, which was intended for township police officers, Fox wrote that "profiling, racial or otherwise, has it's [sic] place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly."

He went on to say: "Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods. White kids buy heroin in black NYC neighborhoods. That's why the NYPD stops those white kids. ... The public wants us to keep them safe, and I'm confident that they want us to use our skills and knowledge to attain that goal."

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office concluded in August that the email violated a 2005 state Attorney General's directive barring racial profiling. Within hours of the release of those findings, the Township Committee voted to suspend Fox for 180 days without pay and to demote him to patrolman.

After the email was made public, the department was placed under the supervision of a monitor from the Prosecutor's Office.

The Prosecutor's Office noted in August that an investigation did not reveal that the police force had engaged in any "substantiated instances of racial profiling." The acting prosecutor, Gurbir S. Grewal, said at the time that, aside from the email, there was no evidence that any member of the department "either engaged or condoned racial profiling."

Wyckoff police officers underwent mandatory training in cultural awareness, use of force, internal affairs, discrimination and liability compliance.

David V. Murphy, a former lieutenant, was sworn in as Wyckoff's new police chief in October.