Red Bank Police Chief Rebuts 'Relationship' Allegations By PBA

RED BANK, NJ — Police Chief and Interim Municipal Manager Darren McConnell responded to the recent PBA Local #39 accusations against him in a formal statement, saying he could not let the professional and personal criticisms "go unanswered."

At Thursday night's Borough Council meeting, PBA Local 39 President Mike Zadlock read a statement to the council criticizing the chief for "favoritism, nepotism" and "selective enforcement." No specifics were cited and the PBA has not responded to provide more explanation.

Zadlock also raised personal issues about relationships with PBA "members' significant others," which prompted the response from the chief this weekend to counter that characterization. No specific relationships were cited in the statement by the PBA.

The PBA president also announced a "no confidence" vote in McConnell passed by members on July 10.

Response by McConnell

McConnell countered the comments in a statement made to local media:

"At this juncture, I find it necessary to provide information to the public to clarify some issues and set the record straight rather than allow the recent statement by the PBA and subsequent rumors circulated by members of the community to go unanswered," McConnell said.

"While I cannot and will not discuss any ongoing investigation or any personnel matters, this clearly has become more about personal issues than professional ones. Most notably I would like to address the allegation that I have had numerous relationships, plural, with the significant others of members of the PBA," he said.

He rebutted that characterization, saying "I had one, one, relationship that would fall into this category and it occurred years ago and became a long-term and publicly known relationship, not a hidden secret. To say that I never regretted that decision and never showed remorse is completely untrue, though the PBA as a whole would not know that as they were not a party to that situation in any way. That relationship was something that hurt someone who I had been friends with and I fully accept responsibility for that, and have for years," he wrote.

"Regarding my current relationship and marriage, while those who want to damage my reputation and that of my wife would categorize that as a scandal, it is not. Kristin and I had a brief relationship approximately eight or nine years ago but then moved on with our lives. Kristin subsequently became involved in a new relationship with another member of the PBA, which lasted until 2020. In the latter part of 2021, Kristin and I got back together, a year after her other relationship had ended. We became engaged about a year later and were married in July of this year. That is not a scandal, it is a relationship and part of life," he said.

McConnell was referring to his marriage to an officer on the force, Officer Kristin Altimari.

"While some may believe that engaging in a relationship with someone at work is improper, it is common in all walks of life and is extremely common in law enforcement as it is a unique career with people who share common interests and experiences," McConnell wrote.

"While some agencies prohibit such relationships, our department and our Borough does not. In fact, the borough policy implicitly understands that these relationships happen and simply requires that they be made known through proper channels and be addressed appropriately. I satisfied that requirement upon engaging in our relationship," McConnell said.

"Again, I would like to stress that despite the picture being painted that I have engaged in numerous inappropriate relationships, that is not the truth. My current marriage is not a regrettable decision, but is two people who have built a healthy, loving relationship and are living a normal life just like anyone else has the right to do. Any assertion beyond that is simply a false and defamatory narrative," he said in the statement.

He also referred to a brief response he made on Thursday to the PBA statement:

"As I mentioned earlier this week, the timing of this action by the PBA is suspect considering that Kristin and I have been very clearly together for approximately two years, and this was undertaken and publicized only as I am about to retire. In fact, in their statement they indicated that their concern was that I could potentially apply to return as the new manager, which appears to me to be an attempt to dictate who the town does or does not hire as the new manager, clearly overstepping the role of a labor union," McConnell said.

PBA comments made at Council meeting

McConnell came under fire at Thursday's night public comment section of the Borough Council meeting. The Red Bank PBA Local #39 president announced a "no confidence" vote by members on July 10 and urged the council not to appoint McConnell as the interim manager.

McConnell was named interim municipal manager Thursday as required under the law governing the transition to a nonpartisan form of government under which the existing borough administrator, a post being filled on an interim basis by McConnell, must take over that role until a permanent manager is named. The council also voted to begin the search for a manager, a post McConnell may or may not apply for.

Mayor Billy Portman last week had no comment on the matter, beyond saying it was an "internal dispute within the police department that has nothing to do with the council."

Prosecutor's Office directive

The PBA also said the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office "issued a directive" Feb. 24 regarding the matter, which it did not yet see. The PBA said the state Attorney General's office also received a complaint.

In reference to the directive, the prosecutor's office on Monday said "This memorandum was not formulated as a reaction to any one specific matter, but rather to serve as guidelines intended to improve the fashion in which internal affairs investigations are conducted countywide while providing integrity to such investigations," the prosecutor's office spokesman said.

"Generally speaking, the prosecutor’s office does not comment on specific pending or concluded internal affairs matters beyond what is required under New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Law Enforcement," the office said.

The Office of the Attorney General, responding to a Patch request, said it "does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, and no further information is available at this time."

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office noted Section 5.1.8 of the Attorney General’s Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures (IAPP, revised November 2022), that states that "internal affairs complaints against a law enforcement executive or a member of the executive’s senior management team (to include the officer in charge of internal affairs) must be referred to the County Prosecutor for review."

Section 5.1.8 further states if "the subject of the internal affairs complaint is the Chief, Police Director, Sheriff or Head of Internal Affairs, the County Prosecutor (or the Attorney General’s Office) shall handle the investigation. In these instances, the County Prosecutor’s Office would make factual findings, which would then be forwarded to the Chief (if the target officer was someone other than the Chief), or the appropriate authority (if the target is the Chief), who would make the final decision regarding any disciplinary action," the directive states, in part.

There was no specific reference to the Red Bank matter in the full directive, according to the Monmouth County prosecutor's office.