NEWS

Ex-Washington Township police officer files lawsuit over alleged radio dispatch failure

By Peggy Wright
@peggywrightDR;

A former Washington Township police officer has filed a lawsuit against Morris County and its communications dispatch center, alleging his radio calls for backup help one afternoon in 2012 weren’t successful and led to him being assaulted.

Ex-Patrolman Peter Cecere, who was prominent in the department for his K-9 skills and handling of his police dog Kobe, filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court, Morristown, that alleges he was seriously injured on the job on March 22, 2012.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Gregory T. Severinsen, contends that Cecere had radioed the Morris County Communications Center for backup assistance while trying to arrest a suspect but was not able “to obtain timely backup which thereby resulted in plaintiff sustaining serious bodily injury through an altercation with defendant Samuel Tawiah.”

Severinsen said that Cecere, who was 27 at the time, suffered a debilitating injury to his left hand that forced him to take a disability retirement.

Severinsen said that Morris County has not responded to his requests for further information about the incident so he is unsure how the communication breakdown occurred but it was not through Cecere’s fault. If a breakdown did occur, it could be attributable to the radio equipment, strength or lack of strength of a signal in the area or to human error.

Washington Township is one of 22 municipalities that contracts with the county Communications Center for full-service emergency dispatch services. At least 11 other municipalities use the center as a backup for 911 emergency calls.

County Special Counsel John Barbarula said he investigated the incident but couldn’t comment on it, and referred calls to attorney Domenick Carmagnola, who is handling the lawsuit. Carmagnola was not available Friday for comment.

County Department of Law and Public Safety Director Scott DiGiralomo said he could not comment on the lawsuit. His department oversees the communications center.

However, DiGiralomo said the dispatch center each year handles hundreds of thousands of calls, including 450,000 in 2013. That year, he said, there were only a handful of complaints about how calls were handled.

“I think the dispatchers do a fantastic job in a stressful situation,” DiGiralomo said.

Cecere’s lawsuit also names Samuel Tawiah as a defendant. While Tawiah’s judgment of conviction was not available Friday, court records state that he was charged on March 22, 2012, with two counts of assault -- one for Cecere and one for Sgt. Jeffrey Almer.

Tawiah, then 20, of Long Valley, pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2012, to assault and was sentenced in October 2012 to probation and community service.

According to a police report issued at the time, Tawiah was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a multi-car crash on Schooley’s Mountain Road around 5:30 p.m. on March 22, 2012. Responding to the scene, Cecere approached Tawiah, who was leaving the scene, to see if he was injured and Tawiah assaulted him and fled. Cecere and the township sergeant apprehended Tawiah in a house near the scene and were further assaulted before subduing Tawiah, according to the report.

Cecere, whose hand was broken during the altercation, wound up retiring in September 2012.

The lawsuit is seeking compensation for the county’s alleged negligence, carelessness and deviation from acceptable standards of care by exposing Cecere to a dispatch system that failed him in a time of need. The complaint charges that Washington Township officials also were “aware of the full dysfunction, shortcomings and other problems associated with the police radio transmission system” when they contracted for its services.

Under the New Jersey Workers’ Compensation law, Cecere has been paid a total of $56,849 to cover medical expenses and lost wages before his retirement.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com