By CRAIG D. SCHENCK
Sentinel staff
LINWOOD — In what has turned from a pattern to a practice, Linwood has agreed to a separation agreement with its new police chief, this time on the same day he officially took office.
City Council passed a resolution May 26 confirming Jason Weber’s promotion to chief effective that day, as well as a resolution authorizing a separation agreement effective Dec. 31, 2021.
That means the city now is paying the salary of two chiefs until the end of the year and will name the department’s seventh top cop in the past 10 years.
Council placed former chief John Hamilton on paid administrative leave and named Weber acting chief and Steve Cunningham acting captain Dec. 9, 2020.
Hamilton had taken over the job April 1, 2020, from Doug Carman, who retired effective the previous day after 25 years on the force. Carman had been promoted to the position in 2015, following an agreement in which Linwood and Northfield shared a chief.
In 2019, Carman and Hamilton settled a $400,000 whistleblower lawsuit with the city they filed in 2011, claiming a hostile work environment under former chief Jim Baker. The settlement called for each officer to receive $143,088.67, while their lawyer was paid $113,822.66, according to published reports.
After Baker retired in 2011, Carman was next in line to be police chief. Instead, Linwood signed an agreement with Northfield to share its chief, first Robert James until June 30, 2014, and then Colin Hickey, a Northfield resident who served on the Linwood police force for 25 years. The towns ended that agreement in 2015, when Carman was named police chief and Hamilton was promoted to captain.
Council passed a resolution April 14 authorizing a separation agreement with Hamilton, who was under investigation for misconduct. The agreement allowed Hamilton to resume his duties until Dec. 31, 2021, then retire and collect a pension after 25 years of service to the city. He had enough accrued leave time to carry him through until the end of the year.
The move came amid the investigation and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office taking over supervision of the Linwood Police Department.
The separation agreement states that Hamilton served 24 years 4 months with the department and allowed him to return to work as chief until April 30, at which time he was demoted to lieutenant and serve until Dec. 31. It cites an agreement between the city and state Policemen’s Benevolent Association Mainland Local 77 dated Jan. 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2021.
Hamilton is permitted to use 100 percent of his accrued sick leave time, vacation time, holiday time and personal time “for the purpose of engaging in terminal leave prior to his effective date of retirement.”
Hamilton further is permitted to accrue 490 hours, or 61.25 days, of vacation to “carry over into the following year.”
According to a state public employee salary database, Hamilton was earning $137,546 as of Dec. 31, 2020.
On Jan. 27, City Council appointed Weber deputy chief with a salary of $137,242.
Now it’s Weber’s turn to finish his career and have a pension and benefits for life. His salary was set at $139,987 plus the percent increase agreed upon in the superior officers contract.
Weber is permitted to use 100 percent of any unused accumulated leave for vacation and personal days. He also will collect $50,000 for unused sick time.
City Council President Ralph Paolone said having a separation agreement is beneficial for the city because it keeps the chief in the position until a specified date.
“We have a separation agreement because it helps us control the accumulated sick time,” Paolone said, noting that state statute capping the payout for unused leave does not apply retroactively.
“When people have been here for 26 years and accumulated an enormous amount of sick time, when you don’t get a separation agreement they can say, ‘OK, I am now going out on leave,’” Paolone said.
He said he did not see the constant turnover at the top position as a problem, noting each of the previous chiefs had 25 years of experience when they took over.
Paolone attributed the turnover to the department aging and expects it to stabilize for a while.
“We wanted Weber to stay as chief for as long as he possibly could because he had the most experience and the next chief will be here, I anticipate because they could potentially be younger, I anticipate for eight or nine years,” Paolone said.
He added that the city will benefit from implementation of a 12-step pay scale rather than six or eight steps in the past.
“More steps are going to help us control that cost,” Paolone said.
He said the rise to the top position is just a natural progression.
“Put your time in, rise up through the ranks and eventually become chief. By the time you become chief, most guys are close to that 25 years,” Paolone said.
He said the promotion process is no different than in any other job.
“The more experience you have, the better you are at your job and your compensation is commensurate with that,” he said. “The chiefs have risen to that rank because they are the most experienced guys with matching skills and that’s why we make them chief.”
Also during the meeting Detective Sgt. Austin Martin was promoted to lieutenant.