What to Know
- Former Wyckoff chief Benjamin Fox agreed to resign on Nov. 15.
- He was disciplined over an email that said racial profiling has its place in law enforcement if done correctly.
- Town officials said there were no "systemic problems" in the police department.
A New Jersey police chief who was suspended without pay this summer for sending an email advocating racial profiling has resigned and will retire next week.
Former Wyckoff chief Benjamin Fox agreed to resign on Nov. 15 as part of deal reached with the Bergen County town, The Record reports. His 180-day suspension, which began Aug. 5, was also deemed "fully satisfied."
Fox will submit a retirement application dated Dec. 1 to the state Division of Pensions.
The agreement released Wednesday by Wyckoff officials contained no details about any conditions of Fox's retirement, the pension he will receive or what other benefits he will keep or sacrifice.
Fox was disciplined after the county prosecutor's office determined his 2014 email that said profiling has its place in law enforcement if done correctly "explicitly" violated a state directive prohibiting racial profiling.
Fox's email said profiling has its place in law enforcement if done correctly. It also said that "black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods."
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Wyckoff is a mostly white suburb 30 miles west of New York. In his email, he also noted that New York police stop white kids in black neighborhoods there because "they know they are there to buy drugs."
County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal said an investigation didn't uncover "any substantiated instances" of racial profiling by Wyckoff officers. Town officials said Fox's actions were an "isolated incident" and that there were no "systemic problems" in the police department.
Wyckoff police officers underwent mandatory training in cultural awareness, use of force, internal affairs, discrimination and liability compliance.
