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More turmoil in the Edison Police Department came to light this week when a police officer was accused of drinking on the job.

(Star-Ledger file photo)

In a renewed eruption of tensions over control of the Edison police force, Chief Thomas Bryan has asked the Middlesex County prosecutor to appoint a monitor in the department to help him fend off what he termed rampant political interference from Mayor Antonia Ricigliano.

Bryan’s request, made in a three-page letter to Acting Prosecutor Andrew Carey, marks a rare, if not unprecedented, invitation from a police chief for outside oversight.

It also signals the extent of the gridlock and dysfunction in Edison, where rival political factions have been locked in a bitter war for several years.

"Since the mayor took office, her administration has repeatedly and vehemently obstructed my ability to implement reform initiatives, instead choosing to pander to political supporters ... and allowing those individuals to continue to conduct themselves in an unprofessional and downright malicious manner," Bryan wrote.

A monitor, Bryan added, could prevent Ricigliano from making political promotions in the waning days of her first term and could help counter the "negative organizational cultural elements within the Edison Police Department." Ricigliano is running for re-election in November.

Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan says the mayor has thwarted his reform efforts.

Bryan’s letter, dated May 30, came just days after the mayor wrote her own letter to Carey, who recently replaced Bruce Kaplan as prosecutor. Ricigliano, citing a failure of leadership in the department, requested a meeting with Carey in the wake of the latest high-profile arrest of an Edison officer.

Michael Dotro, a 10-year veteran, was charged with five counts of attempted murder May 23 for allegedly setting fire to the home of Edison police Capt. Mark Anderko.

Anderko and his family escaped unharmed. Dotro remains in the Middlesex County jail in lieu of $5 million cash bail.

The Star-Ledger reported earlier this week that Bryan, with Anderko at his side, recently ordered Dotro to undergo a psychological evaluation after receiving his 11th excessive force complaint in a decade. Separately, Dotro had been accused of harassing a female clerk and beating up an elderly neighbor in Manalapan.

An additional case of misconduct emerged over the weekend, when Edison officer Alan Varady, 51, was found drinking beer at a barbecue while on duty. He was charged with driving under the influence Monday night. Varady was immediately suspended with pay.

Ricigliano did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

On Monday, when commenting about the arrest of Dotro and the suspension of Varady, she told The Star-Ledger the continuing episodes of misconduct show the "system is not working." As public safety director, she said, she also wanted monthly reports from Bryan on officer behavior.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, which backs Bryan, lashed out at the mayor Tuesday, accusing her of meddling in the department’s daily operations and "coddling" officers — even those accused of wrongdoing — who have backed her politically.

"Something does need to be done immediately. The mayor needs to let the chief run the department, and she can’t interfere every time the chief disciplines somebody," said Raymond Hayducka, the group’s president and the police chief in South Brunswick.

"It’s no secret that every time police officers disagree with something the chief does, they run right to the mayor, and she entertains them," Hayducka added. "You cannot run a police department in that fashion."

Vito Gagliardi, an attorney for the chiefs’ association, said state intervention in the police department would be "helpful" in insulating Bryan from political interference, allowing the chief to provide "reward for good behavior and accountability for bad behavior."

In response to a two-part Star-Ledger series about the department in December, the state Attorney General’s Office and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office increased oversight of Edison’s internal affairs unit. But both the state and county have shown no interest in taking over the department altogether.

Carey, the prosecutor, said in a statement Tuesday the increased monitoring of internal affairs "has resulted in positive and beneficial results." He also confirmed he would be meeting this week with Ricigliano to discuss "relevant issues."

"However," he added, "as the mayor is well aware, her office is not allowed to get involved in the day-to-day operation of the Edison Police Department."

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