Passaic prosecutor faces another fight with law enforcement union

The fight between law enforcement and Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes has escalated, with the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association clubbing her for suspending a prosecutor’s office detective for 45 days because he did volunteer work in his hometown.

Dean Cioppa’s service on the Pompton Lakes Redevelopment Agency – and strangely,  his service as a volunteer firefighter and his fall weekend gig as the announcer for the Pompton Lakes High School football team – seems to have drawn the ire of Valdes.

“I am stunned but, unfortunately, not surprised by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s actions,” said Pat Colligan, the state PBA president.  “We should be commending Detective Cioppa for his volunteer work, not tarnishing his good name and great work.  The illogical nature of Prosecutor Valdes’s proposal aligns with what we continue to see from her office.”

Colligan sent two formal letters of complaint to Valdes, but he has not heard back.

“The decisions from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s office are not just disappointing—they’re indefensible,” stated Colligan.  “Detective Cioppa deserves accolades, not baseless accusations.”

This is the latest in a series of problems for the controversial Valdes, whose almost fifteen-year tenure as the county’s top law enforcement officer could soon be coming to an end.

Gov. Phil Murphy has renominated Valdes twice, but she has been unable to get confirmed by the State Senate.  Murphy must now decide whether to renominate Valdes again in the next legislative session or go with someone else.

State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa) and several local police unions have called for Valdes to resign, citing her refusal to investigate Paterson police officers who were later convicted of corrupt acts in federal court.

Valdes had also faced a whistleblower complaint from a stenographer in the prosecutor’s office who alleged that she decorated rooms in Valdes’ home, put up Christmas decorations, pulled dead rats from her garbage can, and got her husband to repair the prosecutor’s car for free.  She alleged she was asked to lay out $1,000 of her own money to place a deposit on the funeral of Valdes’ father.  A Superior Court judge dismissed that complaint.

Gov. Jon Corzine named Valdes in 2009.  In 2022, Murphy considered her as a potential candidate for attorney general.