UNION CITY AND BEYOND — Union City Mayor Brian Stack revealed Wednesday that the results of attorney Walter Timpone’s investigation into the allegations brought against Police Chief Charles Everett will most likely be made public in approximately two weeks, if the city receives clearance from the Attorney General’s office.
Everett came under scrutiny last month after a New Jersey News 12 report said that he earned money for off-duty security work at the town’s athletic field and pools. News 12 claimed they had videos of Everett arriving late, leaving early, and even working out while the Board of Education paid the Police Department for his extra work.
In addition to his annual salary of $200,000, Everett earned $45,000 a year for two years providing security for the city’s pools and for Jose Marti athletic field.
After the allegations came to light, Stack hired attorney Walter Timpone to look into the matter and make a report.
Last week, it was revealed that the city had received a subpoena because now the attorney general’s office is looking into the matter. Contrary to published reports, the subpoena went to the custodian of records in City Hall — in other words, the city clerk — rather than to the mayor’s office and chief’s office, Stack said.
Stack said that the city hired Timpone — who has experience with law enforcement — not only to investigate Everett, but also to look into the possibility of redistributing police details, as he feels they are too heavily assigned to superiors on the force (costing the city around $1.3 million per year) rather than to those who earn considerably lower salaries. Stack said that the unions are pushing to keep allocating top detail work to the superiors.
In Union City’s form of government, the mayor also serves as one of the five town commissioners, each of whom has a specialty. The mayor’s specialty is public safety. As public safety commissioner, he can help shape police policy, but does not oversee the day-to-day functioning of the department.
Everett is no longer assigned to the details.
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