The house always wins

As promised last night the real reason we have police standing around construction sites still, even after Mayor Steve Fulop said he'd end the practice while running for mayor. It has to be an affront to those in high crime or really any crime areas that the reason they still do would be money.

It shouldn't surprise us but it's the case. Johnny, private citizen Johnny, wrote letters and emailed Mr. Fulop about his promise not being fulfilled after he took office but got ZERO reply. Nothing. They were civil and intelligent requests as to why the practice of having upwards of 15-20 police officers standing around downtown construction sites, some who have been injured working those sites, continued when Fulop himself said citizen volunteers are all that were necessary. No reply. Nada. Of course private citizen Johnny has never made a donation to the Fulop campaign so that could be a reason, no?

A case in Newark exposes the real reason why this goes on. A Jersey City police officer who was working what might seem to be a lot of these construction stand arounds from the amount of money the Feds says he didn't claim on taxes. C'mon Johnny. how much could a cop not have claimed from simply standing around a construction site?

$230,000.

Again, $230,000.

The U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Paul Fishman, announced Wednesday that Juan Romaniello, 54, of East Hanover, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges Wednesday, after Romaniello effectively cut out the JCPD as a middleman when he took work and accepted payments directly from construction companies.

The direct payments were in violation of a city ordinance requiring such work to be arranged through the department. Fishman said the ordinance also requires that payments be made by companies to the city, which then pays the officer after deducting taxes and an administrative fee kept by the city.

THEEEEEERRRRRRE it is! The city gets a cut. The city doesn't get a cut with citizen volunteers. Did Fulop not know this set-up when he ran for the office he's in over his head doing? Mayor Fulop, what IS the city's cut and how much does the city get from this program? Tell us, why do we have cops standing around making money for the city while some wards bleed nightly? Daily. Monthly. The Fulop Administration could put an end to this and get more cops out on the streets but he CHOOSES not to.

And for what? For a little bit of money