Old Tappan council seeks clarity on reported officer resignations after police report and burglary update

At the Borough of Old Tappan’s Feb. 18 meeting Councilman Bagi summarized January police activity and relayed details of a residential burglary, and council members raised concerns about recent officer turnover.

Councilman Bagi reported the department’s January activity, listing calls-for-service and enforcement activity as recorded by the department. He also described a Jan. 31 daytime residential burglary in which suspects accessed the home through a second-story open window; the case was under investigation and no arrests had been made as of the meeting.

Following the report, several council members said they had heard that one or more officers planned to resign and asked whether the chief had official notice. The council asked the Police Department to confirm staffing status at the next meeting and discussed instituting exit interviews to gather information about recruitment and retention. Mayor Gallagher and other members expressed interest in official confirmation from the chief before wider circulation of rumors.

Why it matters: police staffing levels affect response capacity and overtime costs; council members said they want formal notification and better data to assess whether policy changes are needed.

Representative excerpt from the meeting: Councilman Bagi said the burglary "took place during the daytime between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m." and noted the department was continuing to investigate. Council members asked for official confirmation of any personnel changes and recommended exit interviews as a retention tool.

Next steps: the council asked that the Police Department leadership provide official confirmation of any resignations and that the police committee consider starting exit interviews for departing officers.