Sokolich: Expect Conclusion of Investigation Into Police Van Incident by End of Week or Early Next

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich said Monday he’s expecting the Fort Lee Police Department “to absolutely conclude” an internal investigation into a March 26 incident in which five minors were left forgotten in a transport van outside police headquarters in freezing temperatures for more than 14 hours by the end of the week, “if not early next week.”

“The results of the investigation will then be reported to a borough administrator with direct amended courses of action to take, not only with regard to the officers, but with regard to safeguards [and] whatever else needs to be put into place,” Sokolich said. “I think what we’re going to find is that basically it was human error. At the end of the day, I think the safeguards are in place. It’s just that human error, and the police officers didn’t follow [those safeguards].”

Sokolich also said he will not take additional action or call for resignations until the investigation is complete.

“At that point, we’re going to deal with what action the department is going to take with regard to the officers,” Sokolich said.

At the latest Mayor and Council regular meeting Thursday—otherwise highlighted by the passage of five resolutions that taken together resolve years of negotiations and legal wrangling over the area commonly known as Redevelopment Area 5—Sokolich said of the police van incident, “There are those that would distance themselves from the issue. Not I. I’m your mayor on good days, and I’m your mayor on bad days. And that was a bad day.”

“Within minutes of learning about this episode, an immediate, swift, relentless internal investigation was started,” he said Thursday. “It is now just about completed, and we’re waiting for findings to be reported back to the police chief and ultimately the governing body. I can assure you this is not being taken lightly. I can also assure you that all resources in Fort Lee are being devoted to the investigation.”

The twofold purpose of the investigation, Sokolich said, is “to determine precisely the reason why it happened, and perhaps more importantly, to ensure that it never, ever occurs again.”

But on Monday Sokolich backed off the comment that the investigation was “just about completed.”

“One of the problems we run into with this is that when you peel back the onion, sometimes when you think it’s going to conclude at the first layer, you’ve got to go to layer three, four and five based on what it is that you’ve uncovered with the first layer,” he said. “There’s no intentionality here. There was no malicious intent, but still, sometimes the investigation, as you get into it, creates more and more work.”

Three Fort Lee police officers remain suspended with pay as a result of the incident.

“That’s because the hearing hasn’t been conducted, and that’s because we can’t conduct a hearing until we conclude the investigation,” Sokolich said Monday. “The law of this jurisdiction is that except for very limited circumstances, you suspend with pay until they’re afforded a right of hearing. It’s a constitutional right of due process.”

Regarding potential lawsuits against the borough reported earlier this month by The Bergen Record, Sokolich said, “I’m not surprised.”

“I’ve reviewed on my desk one notice of claim, which is the first step you need to take to sue a municipality,” Sokolich said. “I’m not aware of a second, although I’m hearing of a second.”