Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac is urging the Borough Council to suspend Police Chief Michael Cioffi, after the release of tapes in which he refers to the mayor as an expletive, laughs while a police officer mocks an Asian councilman, and says he would like to kill a councilwoman.

Several council members, however, are hesitant, saying they need more information and don't want to take any action that might open the borough up to further litigation.

"I don't condone his language and I don't think such talk is appropriate in the workplace, but there are protocols we have to follow," said Councilwoman Ellen Park, a Democrat.

In one recording, played for the council Sept. 26, the chief can be heard saying he would like to kill Councilwoman Carrol McMorrow, a Republican ally of the mayor.

"I'd like to kill her but I can't do that ... I look at 'Shawshank Redemption' and say, hmm."

In another, played at a meeting last week, he can be heard laughing as a police officer mocks Korean-American Councilman Mark Park for his broken English and likens him to a carnival clown. In a third, he refers to the mayor as a "piece of [expletive]."

Mark Park, a Korean-American immigrant who was the target of the mockery, said he was devastated to hear the tapes this week.

"I am so disappointed about his comments; it's a disgrace to our city," said Park, a Republican. "They talk about me talking English. I am a first-generation immigrant. My English is a second language. Everybody has to know that. They have to know that."

Englewood Cliffs has long been a hotbed of strife, with conflict between the mayor and police chief that dates back years.

The latest series of conflicts began after the discovery and release of self-made recordings by the police chief. Cioffi initially created the tapes in 2016 — of himself talking to borough employees while on duty — to protect himself from the mayor, he said, admitting that it was a mistake. Those recordings have put him on the hot seat.

Cioffi's lawyer said he was joking about wanting to kill McMorrow, but Kranjac took him at his word and suspended him with pay last week.

"No one is above the law, especially a police chief," Kranjac said. But the court subsequently ruled that Kranjac lacked the authority to suspend him without the council's vote.

"It is now going to be up to the council members to suspend him," he said. "I hope they do their jobs and do the right thing."

Cioffi returned to work Friday. Reached at his desk Monday afternoon, he said, "I'm happy to be back," but declined to comment further.

Ellen Park, who is not related to Mark Park, said she's not sure that she would vote in favor of suspension. It's essential for the mayor and council to follow protocol to avoid litigation, she said, adding about the mayor, "The fact that since he took office 22 lawsuits were filed against the borough and/or the mayor shows that he's not following protocol."

Ellen Park said she listened to the tapes in which Mark Park is ridiculed — "Park can't even speak English" someone says — and likened to a clown, "and didn't feel it was racist in any way." However, the mayor and his council allies say it is anti-Asian.

Councilwoman Gloria Oh, A Democrat, also did not consider the statements racist. "The chief didn't say it, and the statement was about looking like a clown. How is that racist?" she said.

She added that she needed more information before she would vote on a suspension. "I would like to listen to more of the tapes and make a decision based on what I hear."

McMorrow, who says she resigned because of Cioffi's comments and the borough's refusal to take action, said, “Racist comments should never be tolerated, especially by law enforcement officers made about the residents they are paid to serve and protect."

She added, "I am disappointed that neither the Attorney General’s Office nor Senator [Loretta] Weinberg’s office has stated an opinion or insisted upon an investigation into this very disturbing matter.”

There are many more hours of recordings, which are a part of separate litigation and under a court-ordered seal. Kranjac claims that they "are quite heinous" and would warrant termination of the chief, and he has been pushing for their release since summer.

But Kranjac said Monday that the material that has already been aired is horrendous enough to disgust anyone.

Englewood Cliffs has "zero tolerance for racism, sexism and violence," Kranjac said. "I will raise a motion to put him on paid leave until everything is resolved."

The police chief was scheduled to retire as of January, Kranjac said. "He's an ineffective leader of our Police Department and has been for a long time. He's proven that with these recordings."

But Cioffi's attorney, James Patuto, said suspension is not warranted in this case. "They should only suspend when the health and safety of the town is in danger," he said.