Red Bank Green is reporting that the police chief in the Monmouth County community has been suspended after an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office concluded that he engaged in “unethical” behavior and should be fired.
The report by the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) asserted that: “Given the seriousness of the sustained charges, the Office of the Attorney General recommends that (Red Bank Police Chief Darren McConnell) be terminated and not continue in any capacity with the Borough after retirement, including Business Administrator.”
McConnell allegedly violated borough policy by using his position as the top cop to influence internal affairs cases involving Patrolwoman Kristin Altimari, who is both his wife and a subordinate officer employed by the Red Bank Police Department.
The report concluded that the police chief improperly dismissed some internal affairs cases, reversed the finding of at least one other, and on two occasions McConnell prevented his wife from being disciplined.
A redacted version of the report was provided to the hyperlocal news outlet by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, but parts that had been blacked out were revealed when the document was converted to text format.
Not only did the conversion show that the subject of the misconduct was Altimari, who married McConnell last summer, but it also revealed that the initial complaint was lodged against the police chief by Michael Zadlock, who is the president of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 39 and a Red Bank Police patrol officer.
“On Friday, April 14, 2023, Mr. Michael Zadlock, who identified himself as the President of the RBPD Police Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 39, and a patrol officer at RBPD, submitted a complaint through the Attorney General’s online anti-corruption portal,” said the report. “In his complaint, Mr. Zadlock alleged that Red Bank PD Chief of Police Darren McConnell has been overseeing the internal affairs complaints involving a subordinate female officer, Kristin Altimari, with whom he is involved in a personal/ romantic relationship.”
The Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA) conducted the investigation, which revealed troubling findings regarding McConnell’s conduct.
According to the report, the investigation found that McConnell violated borough policy by improperly dismissing some internal affairs cases involving Altimari, reversing the findings of at least one case, and preventing his wife from facing disciplinary action on two occasions.
The report further detailed McConnell’s failure to recuse himself from Altimari’s internal affairs complaints over the eight years she was employed there.
The investigation was initiated after a complaint was lodged by Zadlock, who alleged that McConnell interfered with internal affairs complaints involving Altimari despite their relationship, exhibiting a conflict of interest.
Zadlock claimed that McConnell improperly failed to recuse himself in a total of 14 internal affairs investigations between 2014 and 2021.
The unredacted version of the investigation report detailed the sustained charges against McConnell and recommended his termination, citing the seriousness of the allegations and their impact on department operations and morale.
The investigation also addressed concerns about favoritism within the department but found no evidence that McConnell used his position to influence his son Darren’s career at the Red Bank Police Department.
Darren McConnell, a Red Bank Police patrol officer who serves in the Traffic Division and handles IT responsibilities, was not promoted during a process in which Chief McConnell recused himself.
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