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"After meeting with the Attorney General today and discussing a path forward, I have accepted the resignation of Police Director James Cosgrove. Our conversation centered on changing personnel in the Internal Affairs Department, as only the Chief of the Police Department has that power," Bollwage said in a statement Tuesday.
In addition, the whistle-blower complaint filed by an officer against Police Chief John Brennan was discussed. In order to truly change the culture of the Police Department, I am also calling upon Chief Brennan to step aside during this investigation," he added.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal last week publicly called on Cosgrove to resign after an investigation determined Cosgrove routinely used racist and sexist language in referring to personnel under his command. A number of officers are pursuing legal action against the department.
Grewal simultaneously announced that the acting Union County Prosecutor would be replaced by Jennifer Davenport, who previously worked in the state attorney general's office. Grewal has tasked Davenport with reviewing the workplace culture of the Elizabeth Police Department.
Bollwage said that he will ask Cosgrove, who has served as director for more than 20 years, to brief city officials. Cosgrove's resignation takes effect in two days, Bollwage said.
Amol Sinha, the executive director of the state chapter of the ACLU, said Bollwage should have acted much sooner regarding Cosgrove and criticized the longtime Elizabeth mayor for trying to shield the department from outside scrutiny. “New Jerseyans certainly feel relief that Police Director James Cosgrove has stepped down, but it never should have required the Attorney General’s intervention or calls from advocates for Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage to take action," Sinha said.
"As soon as the Union County Prosecutor found allegations of racist and sexist slurs credible, Mayor Bollwage should have been compelled to take immediate steps to meet the seriousness of the situation. Instead, we saw a mayor who chose to evade accountability by blocking journalists on social media when asked about the controversy surrounding his police director, antithetical to transparency and the Constitution."
Bollwage promised that officials will cooperate fully with Davenport's ongoing investigation into the department.
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