JACKSON, NJ – The leaders of the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch are petitioning lawmakers, police officers, and the public to reject a Jackson Township council plan to create a civilian Director of Law and Public Safety.
Yankel Wenger, who publishes the Lakewood Shopper, a Lakewood-based newspaper, and is the head of the Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch, has been sending residents of Jackson What’s App messages.
Wenger, an ally of Chief of Police Matt Kunz, and opponent of Jackson Mayor Michael Reina has been upset with Reina for years. When LCSW began patrolling Jackson streets years ago, Mayor Reina penned a letter forbidding an outside para-police agency from driving Jackson streets offering police-style services when the township had a fully capable and functioning police department.
Chief Kunz opposed Reina’s opposition to LCSW operating in the community.
Last year, Wenger, a Lakewood resident, was upset with Reina after the mayor chose only Jackson residents to serve as chaplains within the Jackson Police Department. Wenger serves as an honorary chaplain in several agencies.
“The truth is that all serious Police Departments in the state and in the country prefer the position of Police Chief because it is held by a sworn law enforcement officer who has full statutory authority and is trained and certified to hold this position, as opposed to a civilian director who is subject to the whims and influences of the political governing body,” Wenger said. “The grass is not greener on the other side. Engaging in political maneuvering over petty squabbles will not be of any benefit to the Jackson community and may be very detrimental to the safety and security of all Jackson residents.”
If a director of public safety is installed in Jackson, Wenger’s future hopes of LCSW operating in Jackson and a future appointment as a township chaplain are in jeopardy.