Orange mayor accuses West Orange police of hiring discrimination
Updated Apr 01, 2019; Posted Feb 20, 2010
By Halley Bondy/For The Star-Ledger
WEST ORANGE -- Orange mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr. filed a lawsuit last year against his employers at the West Orange police department accusing them of skipping over him in the civil service order to hire a white officer who was paid about $5,000 more in salary.
After years of trying to settle the matter informally, Hawkins, who is black, said he sued. Last week, he asked for a leave of absence from police chief James Abbott.
"[Hawkins] grew up in West Orange and always wanted to be a police officer, but now he has really become affected adversely by the environment," said his attorney and father, Eldridge Hawkins. "The bigger part of his damage is his humiliation, suffering and pain in knowing that this disparity was continuing. He feels as if they don't look at him as they look at everyone else at work."
The mayor's suit alleges the police department hired its officers "with prejudicial reasons to the benefit of Irish males and detriment in particular of females, African-Americans and Italians." He is suing the West Orange police department, police director Jack Sayers, chief James Abbot, and former Sgt. John Feder, who oversaw the hiring process.
He seeks $25 million in damages. West Orange township's attorney Steve Mannion said he was not authorized to comment last week.
Hawkins was elected as part-time mayor of Orange in 2008 with the backing of his father, who is also a former state assemblyman, then-Senate president Richard Codey, and other Democratic leaders.
By state law, police officers take an entrance exam and are traditionally hired to vacant positions based on their scores. On the 2004 exam administered by West Orange, Michelle Nagle ranked 22nd out of all the applicants, Hawkins ranked 23rd, and white officer Brad Squires ranked 26th, according to the response filed in court by the West Orange police department.
The West Orange police department hired Squires three days before Hawkins and 11 days before Nagle, who is not suing.
Hawkins' lawyer said that Squires started off by earning about $5,000 more than him in salary and $4 more per hour in overtime wages. The suit said Squires would continue to receive higher and faster raises due to an earlier hiring date.
The lawsuit also claims that Billy Sayers, nephew of police director Jack Sayers, was hired at the same time as Nagle, but received higher pay than Hawkins or Nagle.
The Oranges and Maplewood branch of the NAACP got involved two weeks ago, asking the police department to respond privately to Hawkins' allegations, according to legal redress chairwoman Tracey Cosby.
The lawsuit is in the discovery phase and no trial date has not been set.