SAYREVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

PLEASE. PLEASE, PLEASE POST THIS VERY TRUE COMPLAINT, OF WHAT THE SAYERVILLE POLICE DEPT. DID TO ME......ON NOVEMBER 17, 2006, MY CAR "WAS" VANDALIZED, IN SAYERVILLE, NEW JERSEY AT ROUTE 9 AT A BANK OF AMERICA ATM LOCATION. I MADE A POLICE REPORT, BECAUSE I WAS POSITVE THAT THIS MALISCIOUS MISCHIEF (WHICH THE POLICE DEPT., CATEGORIZED IT AS CRIMINAL MISCHIEF)) OCCURED AT THIS LOCATION. I LATER FOUND OUT FROM 2 EMPLOYEES, (THAT WORK RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE ATM MACHINE, I DONT WANT TO MENTION THE BUSINESS) THAT CARS GET BROKEN INTO AND VANDALIZED "ALL THE TIME" IN THIS PARKING LOT. THEY ALSO SAID TO ME THAT I AM LUCKY THAT THEY DIDN'T BREAK IN YOUR CAR AND STEAL STUFF. I REPLIED BACK TO THE EMPLOYEES THAT, I'D RATHER HAVE STUFF STOLEN FROM IN MY CAR INSTEAD OF THE KEY MARKS AND DEEP SCRATCHES,ALL OVER MY HOOD & BUMPER.IT IS NOW ALOT MORE EXPENSIVE.. (WHICH DOES TOTAL $1500. IN DAMAGE) I CAN PROVE IT.. HOWEVER, THE DAY I MADE MY REPORT A YOUNG MALE TOOK THE REPORT,(AND BY THE WAY HE (THE POLICE OFFICER)GOES TO THE SAME PLACE I DO WHERE THIS HAPPENED) AND HE ADVISED THAT A POLICE DETECTIVE WILL CONTACT ME. I TOLD HIM, THAT I WANTED SPEAK WITH SOMEONE THAT DAY. I HAD SOMEONE ELSE COME IN THE ROOM TO SPEAK WITH ME AND HE ASSURED ME THAT THIS REPORT WILL BE FOLLOWED UP.. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER LT. BURNES CALLED ME AND TOLD ME TO BRING MY CAR IN SO HE CAN SEE IT AGAIN, PLUS HE IS GOING TO HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHER TAKE PICTURES.. I WENT TO THE POLICE DEPT AGAIN, AND LT BURNES WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL & NICE TO ME. HE SHOWED DEEP CONCERN AND THE PHOTOGRAPHER TOOK ALOT OF PICTURES.. LT. BURNES PROMISED ME AND I MEAN REALLY PROMISED ME,(BECAUSE I HAD HIM PROMISE ME 3 OR 4 TIMES) THAT HE WOULD LET ME SEE THE VIDEO OF THE NIGHT MY CAR WAS VANDALIZED. MY CAR WAS PARKED LEGALLY AND BECAUSE I PARKED ON THE SIDE OF AN ATM MACHINE, I CALLED THE BANK OF AMERICA AND THEY CONFIRMED WITH ME THAT THERE ARE CAMERA'S BUT "ONLY" THE POLICE DEPT CAN REQUEST THIS FROM US. OK GREAT.. SO LT BURNES TOLD ME AND PROMISED AGAIN THAT AS SOON AS SGT. BALADEES ? OBTAINS THE VIDEO, THAT I CAN COME IN AND WATCH WHO DID THIS DAMAGE. 5 MORE DAYS WENT BY AND I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM FROM SGT. BALADEES AND NOT ONLY DID HE GIVE ME A VERY HARD TIME,BUT HE QUESTIONED & QUESTIONED ME & QUESTIONED ME, WAS I PARKED IN A HANDICAPPED SPOT, DO I HAVE ANY ENEMIES, AND HE ALSO COMMENTED THAT,"HIS WORDS" WHEN YOU DO SEE WHO DID THIS TO YOUR CAR WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO??? I SAID FIRST OF ALL I WAS NOT PARKED ILLEGALLY, 2ND OF ALL I DO NOT HAVE ANY ENEMIES, I JUST MOVED HERE AND I DONT KNOW ANYONE BUT THE OWNER OF THE PLACE, THAT THE POLICE OFFICER & I FREQUENT, AND LAST THIS IS MY BUSINESS WHAT I WILL DO AFTER I SEE THE VIDEO.... HE GAVE ME A VERY HARD TIME.. I PHONED LT. BURNES BACK AND ASKED HIM WHY THE INTERROGATING???? HE DIDNT HAVE AN INTELLIGENT ANSWER. A COPLE MORE DAYS HAVE GONE BY & SGT. BALADEES CALLED ME AGAIN TELLING ME THAT THE BANK OF AMERICA DOES NOT WANT TO WATCH A 4 HOUR VIDEO.... I CUT HIM OFF AND SAID , I NEVER ASKED THEM TO WATCH ANYTHING!!!!! I WAS PROMISED AND TOLD BY LT BURNES THAT YOUR JOB IS TO OBTAIN IT FROM THE BANK AND THEN CALL ME IN TO WATCH IT... I FOUND OUT THAT HE LIED TO ME BECAUSE I CALLED THE BANK OF AMERICA AND THEY NEVER SAID THAT... THEY SAID THAT THE POLICE DEPT JUST HAS TO MAKE 1 PHONE CALL TO GET IT... I WANTED TO PUT IN A COMPLAINT WITH THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY PROSECUTERS OFFICE, AND I WAS ADVISED THAT I HAD TO TAKE THE PROPER PROCEDURE FIRST, AND THAT WAS TO SPEAK WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THE SAYERVILLE P.D. HE WAS MEAN & NASTY AND DID NOT GIVE A DAMN.. HE SAID HE WILL NOT TAKE MY COMPLAINT,(YELLING AT ME IN THE MEANTIME) BEACAUSE I WAITED 3 DAYS TO MAKE THE REPORT... AND DID NOT DRIVE MY CAR OVER THE WEEKEND AT ALL, MY CAR IS GARAGE KEPT, AND WHEN I BACKED IT OUT OF THE GARAGE THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED THE DAMAGE... THE LAST PLACE I WENT TO WAS RT 9 IN SAYERVILLE.... BELEIVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS A SHORT STORY OF THE EMPTY PROMISES AND LIES FROM THE SAYREVILLE POLICE DEPT. THEY WERE VERY, VERY MEAN AND RUDE TO ME....I FOUND OUT OF THE REPUTATION THAT THIS POLICE DEPT HAS, AND NOW I BELEIVE IT IS TRUE.... WHY WOULD THE PUBLIC, THE SAYREVILLE RESIDENTS MAKE THIS UP...

SINCERELY

LAURA L.

973-224-6282

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Comment On This

Agreed. While modern technology has spelled the beginning of the end for corruption on these small-town law enforcement agencies, there is still quite a way to go. The arrogant attitudes and heavy-handed actions of these officers has tapered-off some, but they still operate under the auspices of fear instilled in the very citizens they are sworn to protect. The citizens of these respected communities are to share equal blame for tolerating this sort of elitist behavior for so long. The problems are rooted in the fact that everyone in these small towns would like to believe they are 'somebody.' Befriending a local police officer seems to be an ideal way of displaying 'status' to their neighbors. So each individual citizen's lust for power feeds the egos of these already empowered agents and creates an even greater delusion of grandeur. Most of the individuals need to educate themselves and understand that by giving-in to these officers you are only sacrificing your own personal power in the long-term in order to satisfy their own need to appear important to their neighbors in the short-term. This isn't to say you need to be confrontational towards them, in fact, it is recommended that you appear to "play the game." They still have the power of arrest and could still easily railroad you on trumped-up charges...which these agencies have a lengthy history of doing to political undesirables, outcasts, minorities, etc. If a legitimate complaint is to be made, record date, time, officer's name and rank and it should be made at the 'county' district attorney level...not the municipality in which the incident occurred because it will be covered-up completely. These law enforcement agencies only have as much power as the people cede to them. If you allow them to behave as cowboys, they'll behave as cowboys.

Comment On This

Well, When dealing with small-town podunk law enforcement agencies in NJ, you need to anticipate a tremendous amount of obnoxiousness. I don't want to sound as if I am defending this behavior, but I'm merely stating the facts. These individuals that are small-town police officers are not chosen from a pool of people that are best qualified for the job, but from a pool of "political hacks" with the "friends in the right places." There is, by law, a test, but it is merely a formality. Corruption on those small-town jobs has run rampant for years. The nastiness you experienced from these individuals is not unusual because there is essentially no one to check and balance these agencies which allows them to operate with almost complete autonomy. That coupled with the fact that virtually every resident in their respected jurisdictions kiss-up to them because it allows for political "name-dropping" benefits whenever it is warranted (e.g. a motor vehicle stop). So it is really easy to see why these cops behave as modern-day feudal lords. There isn't a geeky, nerdy suburban white kid in all of NJ that wouldn't want that kind of power-trip...especially those that had miserable social standings in high school. What better way to get back at the world? In any case, now that you have a little insight as to the mindset of these cops, I commend you on the fact that you had the presence of mind to go to the prosecutor's office with that complaint. The average citizen doesn't know enough to go to the prosecutor's office when they need to lodge a complaint against one of these small-town jobs. Most think by taking issue with the commanding officer that any complaint will be dealt with properly. Think about that; These small town jobs get away with covering-up and corruption because nobody really cares about these small towns except those who live and work in them...and they're forced to "play their game."