Dover’s Public Safety Decision Debated

Morris County Prosecutor's rebuttal and continuing political firestorm, final Town Council vote looms over attempted shakeup of Police and Fire departments.

Dover Town Council will meet Monday evening to vote on a controversial move to reshape the leadership of its Police and Fire departments. (Photo/DOVERNOW)

By Mario Marroquin

The political saga over the future of Dover’s police department is set to come to a head at the Sept. 29 Town Council meeting. At that meeting, officials will cast a final vote on an ordinance that would abolish the chief of police role and create the new Department of Public Safety. 

Town officials, including Mayor James P. Dodd and town council members, have been embroiled in legal or rhetorical battles with Chief of Police Jonathan Delaney. Still, the proposed legislation has also left supporters of the ordinance seemingly at odds with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

County Prosecutor Robert Carroll sent a letter to Mayor Dodd and town officials, including Dover CFO/Business Administrator Edward Ramirez, outlining concerns that Ordinance 30-2025, first proposed at the Sept. 9 meeting, goes far beyond what is permissible for the duties and responsibilities of the newly created department and its Director of Public Safety.

While Dover has employed three other directors of public safety in the past, the county prosecutor’s office argued that the duties and responsibilities outlined in the new ordinance extend beyond the responsibilities of a civilian public safety director. Specifically, the letter says that he or she may not serve as the head of the police department nor delegate responsibilities to sworn officers. The letter argues that only a sworn officer, whether a police chief or officer in charge, can lead the police department and that no individual municipality can tailor the role to work around these statutory requirements. 

 The proposed ordinance comes on the heels of Police Chief Delaney filing a lawsuit against Mayor Dodd, claiming that the mayor allegedly targeted Delaney for refusing to endorse him in the last two mayoral races. 

The atmosphere at town hall has also remained tense as officials voted to move all public town council meetings online over public safety concerns. The mayor even proposed a brief pause in the last town council meeting due to disturbances from the public outside town hall. Council pushed Mayor Dodd to continue the meeting. Councilman Michael Scarneo was involved in an altercation regarding the ordinance after the Sept. 9 meeting.

Neither Mayor Dodd nor Chief Delaney commented on the prosecutor’s letter or anything else before the next meeting.

On the other hand, a press release issues by the mayor’s office over ordinance 30-2025 before the town council meeting on Sept. 9, alleges that the chief of police has continued to use the Chief’s Bill of Rights to block oversight over the department and claims of alleged misuse of overtime management and policy makes the ordinance a viable governmental objective, rather than political retaliation. The press release and council member Sergio Rodriguez said that Delaney has engaged in selective enforcement of the law, which has created a climate of mistrust in the community. Mayor Dodd also alleges that Chief Delaney has wiretapped the town hall and the police department’s phone lines since early 2024.   

While the final vote on the ordinance next week could be a significant turning point in the town's political saga, neither side expected to relent. Regardless of the outcome, the proposed ordinance will likely begin a new phase of legal and political battles. Interested residents can sign up here for the 6 p.m. virtual meeting on Monday, Sept. 29.