Settle in
East Orange Local 16
President wins fight
against suspension
n BY DAN CAMPANA
East Orange Police Officer and Local
16 State Delegate/President Elaine Settle
sees her successful fight against what she
deemed an unfair suspension in two
lights.
On a personal level, she didn’t want to
anyone to question the reputation and
level of integrity she had built in a 30year career. For members of Local 16, she
wanted to lead by example, showing the
value of stepping up for what’s right even
in difficult times.
“People are afraid to stick their head
out of the sand,” Settle said. “At some
point in time, people have to speak up.
You never know until you try it.”
In December, Settle was reinstated
after appealing a five-day suspension
handed to her in connection to a July
2013 situation involving the procedure
for a personal recognizance release of a
suspect picked up on a traffic warrant.
Settle said she did so by signing off on the
release using the signature of a court
administrator – a practice that had gone
on unquestioned for years in East
Orange.
However, the suspect in this instance
was related to the court administrator,
who then complained he had not been
contacted by Settle and did not authorize
“People are afraid to
stick their head out of
the sand,” Settle said.
“At some point in time,
people have to speak
up. You never know
until you try it.”
50
NEW JERSEY COPS
n
MARCH 2015
Officers gather to give testimony at the disciplinary hearing for East Orange Local 16 President Elaine
Settles, seated bottom left, on Jan. 8.
the release. As a result, Settle was reprimanded by East Orange Police Chief
William Robinson on a charge of
violating intake desk procedures, according to published reports. Settle believes
the suspension was personal retaliation
stemming from a dispute with Robinson
over unpaid PBA dues and expenses he
incurred for a trip to a PBA convention in
Las Vegas.
“This was business with me,” Settle
said of raising an issue to the PBA board
about money Robinson owed. “I can’t say
with him it wasn’t personal.”
Settle points out the relationship with
the chief had previously been strained
after she and the PBA went public with
concerns about how members were
being told to perform certain duties.
“We had some questions about the
tactics being used in the department,”
Settle offered.
What came to light during the 10month disciplinary process for Settle is
that the blanket approval to use the court
administrator’s signature to release
arrestees on recognizance was a wellknown and oft-used practice before
Settle was called out for it.
“I have never, ever, been disciplined to
the point where I was suspended from
my job,” Settle shared. “It kind of made
me bitter for a minute. I knew I had to
appeal the suspension.”
Her case went to an arbitrator from the
state’s Public Employee Relations committee in October. The arbitrator’s
December ruling to rescind the suspension was based on evidence Settle was
singled out for discipline when others
acknowledged following the same
process, published reports state.
“Everybody testified it was standard
operating procedure for years,” Settle
explained, referring to information from
her disciplinary hearing.
Settle credits her attorney for pointing
out the inequity of the situation during
the disciplinary hearing. She said her family, which includes others in law enforcement, “was very supportive.” She often
turned to her father, a minister, for someone to talk to.
Settle returned to work in early February with no regrets and a renewed perspective on her role as Local 16 president.
She views her journey as an example of
what being on the front line, leading and
advocating for her members, is all about.
“We’re going to take (issues) head on,”
she says. “We have a lot of good people. It’s
about the whole police department.” d