Keith F. Hummel 856-428-5400
Chief of Police Fax-882-1117

October 24, 2002

To the Residents of Voorhees Township,

On October 23, 2002, I had several residents call my office imploring me to turn on WIP610 to listen to Howard Eskin. With great reluctance, I did turn on the radio and listened to Howard Eskin go on a tirade about the Voorhees Police Department, Mayor, Prosecutor, and Municipal Court. As I continued to listen, I was simply amazed of the misinformation and rhetoric that Mr. Eskin was telling his listeners. His show then became a complaint department. Several callers began to call to complain about Voorhees Township and others called to support our efforts. Those who called to support the Township were promptly disconnected.

I considered calling Mr. Eskin and discussing this matter with him, but I realized that calling him would only lead to further distortions of the facts. Sometimes it’s better not to argue with a person who doesn’t know what they are talking about. This is why I felt that it would be better to address our residents in letterform so that they can make up their own minds based on facts not rhetoric.

Let’s look at the facts of Mr. Eskin’s case. On May 14, 2002 at approximately 11:38 a.m., a Voorhees Police Officer observed Mr. Eskin operating his vehicle on Haddonfield Berlin Road at extremely high speeds and in a reckless manner. Our officer pursued Mr. Eskin’s vehicle. During the pursuit, the officer used his radar unit and speedometer to pace Mr. Eskin’s vehicle. This procedure is done to verify the target vehicle’s speed and this practice is in compliance with New Jersey Law. The officer then stopped Mr. Eskin for speeding, 100 mph in a 40 mph zone. The officer then issued Mr. Eskin a summons for the violation.

Vehicle operators who receive a summons in this State have procedural rights to make sure that they are given an opportunity to be heard in Court. If the defendant does not agree with the Municipal Court’s ruling, they have the right to appeal to the Superior Court.

Mr. Eskin claims that there are problems with the Court, the prosecutor, the mayor and the police, and that Voorhees is a dysfunctional township. If Mr. Eskin had gone to trial and been convicted he would have had the right to appeal this decision to the Superior Court. Mr. Eskin, under no pressure from anyone in this jurisdiction, chose to accept a plea bargain and to PLEAD GUILTY to reduced charges. This is another legally accepted procedure throughout the State of New Jersey. Evidently, Mr. Eskin feels this procedure is fair treatment for everyone else but him.

Mr. Eskin also complained about how the Township of Voorhees appoints the municipal judge and prosecutor. I would like to inform Mr. Eskin that Voorhees Township did not set up the rules for these appointments; the State Legislature sets the rules and the Township Committee follows the rules. These practices are legal, acceptable and have effectively served all the communities of the State of New Jersey for many years.

Mr. Eskin also made several allegations about cover-ups, misconduct and excessive use of force complaints. We should note that Mr. Eskin has never once brought these supposed facts to the proper authorities for investigation. I challenge him to come forward with this information, but I don’t think we will see this happen because his sources of information don’t have the facts to back up these allegations.

I do not tolerate police misconduct and the Department has procedures to ensure that complaints are thoroughly and completely investigated. We are required to investigate every complaint that is brought to our attention, and I believe that we have complied with the directives and policies of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Attorney General.

I believe that Mr. Eskin is retaliating against our community because he was unable to influence our police officers, our prosecutor, our mayor and our judge because of his celebrity status.

The problem herein doesn’t lie with the Township of Voorhees, our elected officials, police officers, or judicial appointments. It lies with Mr. Eskin’s illegal conduct and his lack of maturity to accept responsibility for his actions.

The residents of Voorhees should take pride in the fact that Mr. Eskin could not use his celebrity status to influence the system. The system worked. This is just another case where a driver exceeded the speed limit and received a summons. Mr. Eskin believes that he is above the law and can use his radio time to try and make excuses for his illegal conduct.

Mr. Eskin claims that he is a watchdog for the people and is willing to listen to other community problems. Speeding is a community problem! I believe that you need to watch out for Mr. Eskin, because he may drive down your street one day at a high rate of speed, jeopardizing you and your children’s safety.

Every week we receive complaints about people speeding in our community and I will continue to encourage our police officers to address these complaints by issuing warnings, summonses, and by making recommendations for engineering changes to roadways; which include the installation of speed reduction devices.

The problem does not involve our elected officials. It involves Mr. Eskin’s blatant disregard for the laws of the State of New Jersey and for the safety of the people who live, work and commute through Voorhees Township.

Every Mayor and Committee Member that has served this community, during my tenure as Chief, has and continues to support the Voorhees Police Department. They have been responsible, thoughtful, and professional supervisors.

Sincerely,

Keith F. Hummel

Chief of Police