Military Leave Cops May be 'Politically Motivated,' Police Chief Says

Bloomfield Police Chief Christopher Goul released an official comment on the two Bloomfield police officers accused of falsely claiming time taken off from their police jobs as time spent serving in the military as Air Force reservists.

Patrol officers Michael McCracken and Hector Cartagena have been suspended without pay since Dec. 4.

In the statement, Goul defends the department’s handling of the charges as “complete, fair and unbiased” and says he cannot comment on details of the investigation because of Attorney General guidelines concerning internal affairs matters.

Without naming the officers, Goul said the “individuals involved” may be “politically motivated.” He characterizes the officers’ actions as “an attempt to obstruct and thwart proper investigative procedures to meet their own political and personal needs and goals.”

Goul said the Bloomfield police department was waiting for word from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Attorney General’s office into the matter.

Goul’s statement follows a statement issued by Bloomfield’s PBA and Superior Officers Association last week that characterized the public statements by McCracken and Cartagena as “unprofessional.”

At a previous press conference, McCracken said the Essex County Prosecutor's office had investigated their military leave claims earlier this year and did not find credible evidence that they had falsified their claims of military time. 

The complete statement from Goul is below.

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The internal affairs division of the Bloomfield Police Department has conducted a complete, fair and unbiased investigation into these matters. Because we follow the attorney general guidelines in internal affairs matters, we will not comment directly on facts as they relate to this investigation.

The actions of some of the individuals involved may be politically motivated well beyond the scope of their authorized authority and are an attempt to obstruct and thwart proper investigative procedures to meet their own political and personal needs and goals.

The Bloomfield police department invites and welcomes an investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s office and the Attorney General’s office into the matter.