UPDATE: Prosecutor Dismisses 30 Criminal Cases, Investigates Lower Township Detective’s Use of Informants

LOWER TOWNSHIP– Up to 30 criminal cases from arrests made by the Lower Township Police Department are being dismissed by the Cape May County Prosecutor.
All of these cases involved the use by Detective Chris Lambert of confidential informants that the Cape May County Prosecutor claims were not properly documented, according to a press release from Lower Township. Police Chief Edward Donohue first brought this to the attention of the Township officials in April, but at the time it just appeared to be sloppy recordkeeping, noted the release.
“When the issue surfaced again this month, Township Council directed its solicitor, Anthony Monzo, to review this matter further. As a result, Council was informed for the first time that 12 criminal cases had been dismissed as a result of a similar problem in 2007,” said the press release.
“Following the problems in 2007 the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office assisted the Lower Township detectives in establishing a detailed system regarding the use of confidential informants that was not followed. The County Prosecutor’s Office is still reviewing the conduct of Detective Lambert and other higher-ranking members of the Police Department as it pertains to this matter and is unable to provide further details at this time,” according to the release.
“As soon as the Prosecutor’s Office completes its investigation and returns this matter to us for an administrative review, we will then take the appropriate disciplinary action”, stated Township Manager, Kathleen McPherson.
In the meantime, Detective Lambert has been reassigned out of the Detective Bureau and the County Prosecutor will assign an officer from the Cape May County Detective Bureau to Lower Township on a part-time basis.
“The real victims in this case are the residents of Lower Township who have placed their trust in the Police Department to get rid of the drug problems. To have up to 30 cases dismissed and these individuals placed back on the street due to our actions cannot be tolerated,” stated Mayor Michael Beck. “We will take the steps necessary to ensure this does not happen again.”
Police Chief Edward Donohue provided the following statement: “I have been in constant contact with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office during the course of this audit and have fully cooperated with their review of our cases. The Prosecutor’s Office has advised me that as of this time, there is no evidence of any criminal culpability by any member of the Lower Township Police Department in regards to this matter.
“However, their audit has revealed a breakdown in proper record keeping procedures that were utilized by our detective division. Upon learning of the preliminary findings of the Prosecutor’s Office audit, I have transferred the detective involved to patrol operations pending the outcome of the audit.”
“Once the review by the Prosecutor’s Office is complete the matter will be returned to the Lower Township Police Department for an administrative investigation, which could result in disciplinary charges,” said Donohue.
He said at this time, the Prosecutor’s Office has not advised him on the exact number of cases that may eventually be involved here, the majority of which are still pending court action. In addition the cases referred to from 2007 were not related to the documentation of confidential informants and at the time the Township Manager, Mayor and Solicitor were all fully informed on their status by the Chief of Police,” said Donohue in his press release.