MAHWAH — Police Chief James Batelli, a member of the force for 41 years, is retiring, announced Mayor John Roth.

Batelli will retire at the end of the month, and the mayor's recommendation for a successor is scheduled to be discussed at a closed council session next Wednesday.

In October, Batelli's department was one of two in New Jersey, and among 34 nationwide, to receive Category 1 grants from the U.S. Department of Justice to support law enforcement officers and first responders fighting drug addiction. The $300,000 grant is being used to advance drug services to the public.

Batelli joined the department in June 1978, was promoted to sergeant in 1986, lieutenant in 1989 and patrol captain in 1992. He succeeded Samuel Alderisio as the department's seventh chief in February 2002.

Some of what Batelli accomplished while in office:

CALEA accreditation, achieved by only 5% of law enforcement agencies;

Youth Leadership Program, the only one in the state;

Over $4 million dollars in cash seizures;

Completion of a $1.7 million police headquarters (90 percent paid with seized funds);

Renovation of 911 Communications room;

K-9 programs,

Community outreach programs,

Creation of PSU and drone teams.

Batelli was embroiled in a number of township disputes over the years.

In 2015, a series of events involving the police department led to the first recall vote against then-Mayor William Laforet, who was recalled last fall. The events include:

$500,000 in police overtime that was authorized by Laforet without council notice or approval;

A $30,000 renovation of a roller-hockey rink built through the police department's former DARE program was authorized by Laforet in January 2015 to accommodate ice skating without council notice or approval;

The township's Nixle police emergency notice system was authorized by Laforet without council notice or approval, and according to detractors was subsequently misappropriated by Laforet for non-emergency purposes promoting his programs and activities;

DPW Director Edward Sinclair was fired in March 2015 following an investigation based on an anonymous tip found pornography on a DPW computer. He was reinstated by council two weeks later, stating there was no evidence linking Sinclair to the computer.

In April 2015 resident Annette Freund filed a petition seeking signatures authorizing a recall vote of Laforet, specifically citing among the reasons Laforet's misuse of the police communication channel, and police overtime authorization. The petition failed to secure the necessary number of signatures by deadline.

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In August 2015 Sinclair died suddenly, and his widow filed a $20 million lawsuit citing "significant stress" from the investigation and subsequent department atmosphere for causing his death. Laforet, Batelli, and the Township Council were named in the suit.

In December 2015 Township Council authorized a $45,000 police staffing study to examine the force's efficiency, and determine if they should continue financing 56 officers on $9 million of the township's $37.5 million budget. A report was issued in closed session the following July, but was not made public.

In July 2017 Batelli sought guidance from then-Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal about enforcement of an ordinance limiting use of the township's parks to residents and was advised the ordinance "raises numerous constitutional concerns" and told not to enforce it.

Laforet refused to sign the park ordinance, cited among the reasons for a second successful recall campaign that unseated him in November.

That, and a dispute that same summer over regulating lechis or plastic pipe installed on utility poles to create a religious border, led to an October 2017 lawsuit against the township by the Attorney General's Office charging the two regulations constituted bias aimed at Orthodox Jewish residents in neighboring Rockland County.

In August 2017, Township Council investigated creating a police director position that would allow it to have direct power over the police chief. Under the township form of government, the council can only communicate with its police chief through its mayor or business administrator. It is unclear if this option is still under consideration as part of the transition following Batelli's retirement.

Batelli's retirement payout has not yet been negotiated, according to Mahwah officials.