NJ AG: Red Bank police chief used powers to help officer he was dating, should be fired

RED BANK - The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has recommended Red Bank's suspended police chief be fired, saying he failed to disclose he was dating a police officer who served under him and used his power to benefit that officer.

In a redacted report dated Feb. 16, the Attorney General’s Office found that Chief Darren McConnell has “failed to conduct business according to the highest ethical standards of public service” and “failed to report his supervisor/subordinate dating relationship.”

McConnell, who had planned on retiring last summer, was placed on leave on February 28. He has been serving as head of the borough’s police department and, until last December, as interim borough administrator. Captain Mike Frazee and borough manager Jim Gant have replaced McConnell in those respective roles.

According to Mike Zadlock, president of the police union and a patrolman, the original pension issue cited as the reason that prevented McConnell from retiring was due to the state investigation. “Because there was pending investigation from the AG’s office, Chief McConnell couldn’t retire,” he said.

You can read a full copy of the report at the bottom of this story.

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According to the report, McConnell had a “intimate/personal relationship” with a patrolwoman shortly after she was hired in 2014.

The patrolwoman said to investigators that she was in a relationship with another member of the department and they dated in 2016, had a “non-binding commitment ceremony” in 2019 and ended their relationship in 2020. During that time, “the intensity of (redacted) relationship with Chief McConnell continued” and the patrolwoman and McConnell married in 2023.

McConnell is married to Patrolwoman Kristin Altimari.

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'Used his position'

“Chief McConnell, in his interview, recognized that by definition their relationship would have constituted a dating relationship for police applications,” the report said.

The report found that McConnell “used his position as the Chief of Police to influence Borough of Red Bank decisions which resulted in personal gain for a subordinate employee.”

It said, between 2014 and 2021, McConnell improperly dismissed internal affairs cases and “even reversing the findings of another.”

The internal affairs cases included violations of the police department’s time-off policy, an incorrect interpretation of a “45-day rule” for discipline and poor record keeping.

In one case that involved “an improper strip search,” McConnell sent the woman he was dating for more training instead of a recommended one-day suspension. The training did not take place until after the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office met with the police department regarding the internal affairs matter.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office found that four internal affairs cases had “no documentation of disposition or discipline in the case files.” McConnell provided the missing information by email, but “Chief McConnell’s email was misleading and failed to provide details of (redacted) case dispositions being changed or discipline being downgraded by him.”

McConnell submitted an online disclosure of his relationship to his personal files on September 28, 2021. The report found that it could not find independent evidence that McConnell “made anyone aware” of his relationship, a violation of the borough’s policy.

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'Detrimental to the operations and morale'

The report concluded that the relationship was “unethical and in violation of the aforementioned Borough policy provision. The result of his actions has clearly been detrimental to the operations and morale of the Red Bank Police Department, while beneficial to himself and (redacted).”

The Attorney General’s Office recommended that McConnell “be terminated and not continue in any capacity with the borough after retirement, including business administrator.”

McConnell referred all questions to his attorney Anthony Iacullo.

Iacullo wrote in an email, “Chief McConnell has served the Borough of Red Bank for 36 years and has done so always with the department and the Red Bank community in which he served in mind. He has done so with distinction and honor and in adherence to the laws and regulations governing his office and the department.

"It is not my practice to comment on any allegations made against my client in the public arena but rather, will reserve such rebuttal for the appropriate legal forum," Iacullo continued. "I am confident at that time, when all the evidence is presented, Chief McConnell will be vindicated of all allegations set forth in the Attorney General report.”

Red Bank Borough Manager Jim Gant wrote in an email, "The borough found the allegations and findings to be concerning but respect the chief’s right to due process."

Gant said McConnell was placed on leave the same afternoon that the borough received the report from the Attorney General's Office.

"I respect the process that is in motion to handle this matter," he said. "In the last two weeks, I have met with Captain Frazee, the commanding officer of the police department and feel confident that his leadership is what is right for our officers and the community at this time."

Red Bank Mayor Billy Portman wrote in an email, "Chief McConnell is entitled to a hearing. To that end, last night the council hired a hearing officer. We will allow this process to play out and wait for the report from the hearing officer."

Zadlock, president of the police union, said he is confident in the borough’s current leaders, who have been “really accomplishing a lot of things that have been stagnant in our police department.”

In a statement, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin wrote, “Those in supervisory roles at law enforcement agencies in New Jersey are called upon to conduct themselves according to the highest ethical standards, and to abide by department policies that they enforce. It is critical that those leaders serve as positive role models for the officers under their command, exhibit fairness and a lack of favoritism in dealing with subordinates, and avoid misusing their influence to benefit themselves and those with whom they have personal connections.

"When undisclosed conflicts of interest lead to questionable personnel decisions, and when they hinder full and fair internal affairs investigations, it compromises the quality of policing as well as the safety and well-being of officers and the public," Platkin continued. "Supervisors who lack transparency and even-handedness, and who fail to recuse themselves in the face of clear conflicts of interest, damage the operations and morale of police agencies, and they will be held accountable.”

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

McConnell report by Dennis Carmody on Scribd

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ AG says Red Bank police chief should be fired, helped cop he dated