31°
Former Bradley Beach police Chief Leonard Guida committed 28 violations in seven incidents between July 2022 and November 2023, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said on Friday, March 1, the same day Guida retired — six months early.
"The findings outlined in this report illustrate unmistakably that over the previous year and a half, Chief Guida has been an active hindrance to the very law enforcement agency he was entrusted to lead," Santiago said.
"The picture the report paints is not pretty – but that is precisely why we felt that it was so vitally important to publicly release it. Transparency is rendered meaningless if ugliness is kept opaque."
And the findings are shocking.
The county prosecutor's professional responsibility unit launched an investigation into Guida following two anonymous letters received in August 2023 — three months before he was caught on bodycam footage physically fighting with a sergeant.
The first complaint about Guida described a Black man who felt he was being racially profiled by the chief at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. After National Night Out, Guida ordered two officers to question the man near the intersection of Main Street and Lake Terrace.
The man said he walked the same route home from work daily and frequently saw Bradley Beach police vehicles pass him. The officers told the man Guida asked them to question him, and one officer even said he recognized the man.
Guida arrived at the scene and asked dispatchers for a warrant check on the man. Guida left the scene before dispatch said he had no warrants.
Investigators said Guida claimed thefts had been reported in the area and he wanted the man identified in case there were more reports. Guida also said he did not ask the officers to stop the man because of his race and would have asked for him to be stopped if he was "purple."
Guida was cited for seven violations of the police department's rules in the racial profiling incident. He also violated one regulation of the Internal Affairs Policies and Procedures for the state attorney general's office.
The earliest incident in the county's investigation was on Thursday, July 28, 2022, after a van crashed into a moped on Main Street. An officer was blocking traffic from the crash scene when Guida yelled over the radio at the officer to get to the scene.
The officer moved his vehicle to near the moped driver and began inspecting him for a possible head injury. Guida then made the officer immediately step away from the victim to speak with the officer.
Guida continued yelling at the officer for not getting to the victim sooner, even though the officer believed he should block traffic first to make sure the scene was safe.
"You were sitting in the f***ing car," Guida was quoted in the report. "Get your f***ing head out of your a**. I’ve had it with you. The last two weeks have been nothing but bulls**t.
"I will fire your a** right now. No excuse. I want a written report from you explaining it, and when I get this report, I’m going to take action on it."
Guida told investigators that he "reamed" the officer instead of giving a written warning and claimed the officer "had no problem with it." He was cited for four violations of the police department's rules and regulations.
Guida was also cited for screaming at an officer who wished a woman a "good day" during Bradley Beach's Latin Festival on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. The officer's wife and two children were nearby during the incident.
In another allegation, the former chief went to the police department while off duty on Friday, Mar. 10, 2023. Guida had attended a going away party for the borough's former administrator.
Investigators said Guida yelled at someone for their stance on the U.S. providing military funding to Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion. Guida also made inappropriate Italian mafia jokes to an officer whose father is an immigrant from Sicily.
The names of many officers, victims, and witnesses were redacted in the county prosecutor's office report and Santiago said the redactions "denote small acts of bravery."
The internal investigation expanded after Guida got into an argument and physical fight with Bradley Beach Sgt. William Major on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023.
That's when Major told investigators Guida had been showing up to work drunk in the last six months. Major was also cited for a violation because of his own actions in the argument.
Further, the findings say that Guida committed other violations of the IAP&P for the state attorney general's office, Bradley Beach employee policy, and the early intervention system directive for the county prosecutor's office.
The report concluded that Guida's relationship with Bradley Beach's police officers was "irretrievably broken." The investigators called Guida's habit of yelling over minor issues while officers tried to do their jobs "the most counter-productive form of micromanagement."
One officer told investigators that he wouldn't even eat lunch in the police headquarters to avoid Guida.
"It should be noted that during this investigation, officers within the Bradley Beach Police Department raised numerous additional instances involving Chief Guida yelling at, belittling, and berating subordinate officers," the report's conclusion said. "To continue to investigate each and every one of these instances would be a longstanding task."
The report ended by recommending that Guida should not keep his title as Bradley Beach's emergency coordinator upon his retirement. The borough's government will have to decide if it will retain him in that role.
"This report should not be misconstrued to reflect poorly on the department at large, as the actions of one person do not negate the excellent work of so many other individuals," Santiago said.
Capt. James Arnold took over as Bradley Beach's police chief on Friday, Mar. 1.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Valley and receive free news updates.
