The Morris County mayor made the allegations in an Instagram post.
Dover Mayor James P. Dodd accused the town's police department of recording and storing calls to and from municipal buildings without notifying town officials.in Morris County accused the local police department of recording and storing phone calls made to and from municipal buildings in a recent social media post.
“The town of Dover has recently become aware, through an Open Public Records request of a deeply concerning issue involving the recording of telephone calls made to and from town phone lines,” Dover Mayor James P. Dodd Dodd was flanked by the town’s administrator and chief financial officer, Ed Ramirez, and municipal solicitor Ramon Rivera, in the video. “This revelation is alarming, as these recordings appear to violate New Jersey wiretapping and electronic surveillance control act,” Dodd continued. He did not say who filed the public records request and how officials learned of the alleged recording. In the video, Dodd said the police department confirmed to him that they were recording and storing telephone conversations inside town hall and at other municipal buildings.The lack of notification about the recordings to town employees and officials raised “serious legal and ethical concerns, as well as questions of accountability,” Dodd said. Town officials notified the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and state Attorney General’s Office about the alleged recording and storing and asked the agencies to investigate, according to Dodd. The town specifically wants to know how the surveillance system was implemented, who authorized the recordings, and whether it violates state and federal law, the mayor said. Representatives for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Attorney General’s Office said they could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. Town council member Sergio Rodriguez, who represents the second ward, said if the allegations are true it would “represent a troubling violation of the public trust.” “New Jersey law allows recording when one party to the conversation consents, but in this case the Police Department was not a participant in those calls,” Rodriguez told NJ Advance Media in a statement. A disclaimer about phone calls being recorded was added to municipal phone lines after the alleged recordings came to light, according to Rodriguez. “At the core, this is about accountability in government,” Rodriguez continued. “Residents deserve to know that when they communicate with municipal offices, whether calling in or receiving a call, their privacy is respected and their trust safeguarded.” The police chief filed a civil lawsuit against the town and Dodd on Aug. 18 accusing the mayor of breach of contract, retaliation, slander and libel, according to the legal complaint filed in state Superior Court.If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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