Chief Benjamin Fox appears to condone racial profiling in an email sent to officers.
Wyckoff Chief Ben Fox WYCKOFF - The N.J. Attorney General is investigating Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox over a 2014 internal email in which he appears to order his officers to investigate "suspicious black people in white neighborhoods."
"Profiling, racial or otherwise, has its place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly," states the email, which was released Tuesday by the ACLU-NJ.
"Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff," the email states. "That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods."
Fox did not immediately return messages left at his office and on his cell phone seeking comment.
In a joint statement Tuesday morning, Acting Attorney General Robert Lougy and Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal said they were aware of the email.
"We have received the complaint from the ACLU and a copy of the email at issue," the statement said.
"On its face, the email appears to be a clear violation of the Attorney General's policy strictly prohibiting racial profiling by police officers," the statement said. "We are conducting a full investigation and will take all appropriate measures."
ACLU spokeswoman Allison Peltzman said the email arrived last week from an "anonymous source."
Peltzman said it appears the chief sent the email, dated Dec. 5, 2014, to the entire police department.
"When you look at everything we know about the kind of policing that fosters trust between officers and communities, this email shows Wyckoff heading in the opposite direction," ACLU-NJ senior staff attorney Alexander Shalom said of the email.
"Racial profiling has no place in policing in New Jersey," he said.
Civil rights advocate Rich Rivera said he finds it appalling that police chiefs continue to have a "racial profiling mindset."
"There are more police chiefs out there that think this way but would not reduce it to writing," said Rivera, who heads the Civil Rights Protection Project of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.