nj-state-police-gerald-lewis-lawsuit-discrimination-chris-christie-reginald-jackson.JPG

Bishop Reginald T. Jackson said today that if allegations of racial discrimination against State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes prove true, "it would be difficult for him" to remain.

(William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

TRENTON — Leaders of New Jersey's black community said today they are "shocked" by claims of racial discrimination leveled against State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes, and that if the allegations prove true, the state's top cop must resign or be forced out.

They said they intend to hold a private meeting Monday in Newark to discuss the situation and might take their concerns straight to Christie, who is already under fire for his office's role in the September lane closures on the George Washington Bridge.

"What is his position? Where should the colonel be? Should he also receive a phone call at 9 a.m. in the morning terminating him?," said Rev. Steffie Bartley, a pastor in Elizabeth, adding that if the governor brushes aside concerns, "it would devastate him."

"It would definitely take him some place that he's not ready to go in light of what just happened," Bartley said, referring to the bridge scandal. "This is serious."

The warning came in response to a lawsuit filed by retired Maj. Gerald Lewis, a 26-year veteran who was the public face of the State Police's top brass in the black community. Lewis accuses Fuentes of taking him out of contention to be the next superintendent by targeting him as part of a bogus, racially motivated investigation.

According to the lawsuit, Fuentes directed internal affairs to investigate the origins of an anonymous letter accusing him of various indiscretions, including fathering a child with a mistress and using a lieutenant to secretly ferry child support payments.

A copy of one of the anonymous letters was sent to The Star-Ledger, but the allegations made about Fuentes could not be substantiated.

Lewis asserts in the lawsuit that, without a shred of evidence, he became the target in the investigation. He claims numerous troopers were interviewed about his ambitions and were asked to fill out criminal profiles and personality questionnaires about him.

He also alleges in the lawsuit that Fuentes gained access to his e-mail and phone records, and tried to persuade him to take a job as commander of Troop C, which oversees central New Jersey, in order to get him out of State Police headquarters.

"The focusing of the investigation and the circulation of information indicating that (Lewis) was the source of the various anonymous letters, were directly aimed at ending his career and were in retaliation for his diversity work and to end any possibility that he would be the next colonel," the lawsuit said.

The governor's office today did not return requests for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday and became public Friday. The State Police and the Attorney General's Office declined comment, and Fuentes did not return a request for comment.

"I was shocked," Bartley said. "He called me personally, really upset, in tears, saying, 'Why would he accuse me of something like this?' I'm outraged."

Lewis in recent years worked as the State Police's public liaison, brokering stronger ties with black leaders, making personal pitches to men and women to join the force, and helping the Christie administration bolster its relationship with the Muslim community in the wake of the 2012 New York Police Department spying revelations.

"What troubles me is there are some of us who were hoping that when Fuentes stepped down, that major Lewis would in fact be a viable candidate to replace him," said Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, who has long advocated for reform in the State Police since the racial profiling scandal. "It's my hope this was not part of an effort to undermine that."

If the claims are true, Fuentes' "credibility would be damaged" and it "would be difficult for him" to remain, Jackson said.

The allegations come as minority communities and the state Attorney General's Office, which oversees the State Police, have built strong bonds, making the administration's response all the more important, said James Harris, the immediate past president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"I think that if the governor is serious about what he said (Thursday) and if anyone on his staff is behaving in a manner inconsistent with his values and instructions, then he ought to do what a good manager should do," Harris said. "There's no place for discrimination."

The current president, Richard Smith, called Lewis' claims "disturbing," if they are true.

"We may not only have an issue with minority recruitment externally, but racial discrimination internally," Smith said.

Bishop Jethro James of Paradise Baptist Church in Newark said the situation must be investigated by the Christie administration and the facts must be made public.

"This whole thing is about integrity," James said. "I would pray that (the allegations) would prove not to be true, but I don't think that the colonel could stay if this is proven, or that the governor would keep him. If this was a bogus investigation to muddy his name, then let the chips fall where they may. The community is watching."

MORE POLITICS

FOLLOW STAR-LEDGER POLITICS: TWITTER • FACEBOOK • GOOGLE+