Dover mayor raises concerns after prosecutor finds no criminal conduct in municipal VoIP recording investigation
DOVER, N.J. (Morris County) — Dover Mayor James P. Dodd is questioning the accuracy and handling of a Morris County Prosecutor’s Office investigation into phone-recording practices at the municipal complex, following the office’s announcement that it found no criminal wrongdoing by members of the Dover Police Department.
The Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards Unit on Wednesday publicly released its findings from both a criminal and internal affairs investigation — a rare step for a typically confidential process — saying the disclosure was made “to promote transparency and ensure that the community has access to information that ensures accountability, trust, and integrity in policing.”
The investigation stemmed from allegations by high-ranking town officials that superior officers in the police department used administrative access to the town’s Voice over Internet Protocol system to surreptitiously monitor calls across municipal extensions. Prosecutors said they found no evidence of illegal wiretapping and determined that only one individual — the department’s Internal Affairs lieutenant — had administrative permissions to retrieve recorded calls.
Once investigators concluded no criminal conduct occurred, an internal affairs review began under the New Jersey Attorney General’s Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures. The lieutenant was exonerated, meaning the conduct did occur but did not violate law, directive, regulation or policy.
“To be clear — the actions taken by the Lieutenant were found to be consistent with applicable law and established professional standards,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Mayor Dodd Challenges Public Release, Process and Findings
In a public statement released Thursday, Mayor James P. Dodd sharply criticized the Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to disclose internal affairs findings and disputed several elements of the office’s account.
“The public release issued by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office concerning an internal affairs matter within the Dover Police Department raises significant concerns regarding accuracy, confidentiality, and process,” Dodd said. “The decision to release an Internal Affairs finding publicly, despite the confidentiality requirements imposed by the Attorney General’s Internal Affairs Policy and Procedures, is highly irregular and deeply concerning.”
Dodd said the statement by prosecutors contradicts information his office received about who knew calls were being recorded.
“I have been told consistently that no one within the municipal government—including the Administration, the Governing Body, or prior Business Administrators—had knowledge that municipal employees’ calls were being recorded, stored, or accessible to any individual,” Dodd said. “The Prosecutor’s Office statement asserts broad awareness, yet does not provide any documentation establishing when or how municipal officials were supposedly informed. The facts available to me are 100 percent inconsistent with that suggestion.”
He also challenged the prosecutor’s timeline regarding the system’s recorded warning.
“The message advising callers of recording on Town lines was not active at the time the VoIP system was initially installed, but was activated only after the Internal Affairs complaint involving Lieutenant Corona was filed,” Dodd said. “This raises serious and unanswered questions about why the recording function was enabled at that time, who authorized it, and whether proper notice obligations were met.”
Dodd said significant questions remain about which calls were accessed and whether employees had been properly informed.
“The Prosecutor’s Office confirms that twelve calls were accessed, but does not identify which calls, who participated in them, whether the participants were aware their conversations were being recorded, or whether any civilian employee ever received notice that outgoing calls from municipal extensions would be captured,” he said.
Dodd added that the return of system data to the town will trigger a municipal audit.
“Now that the Prosecutor’s Office has indicated that data and system materials will be returned to the Town, the Administration will initiate its own full audit of the VoIP system and the recorded call archives,” he said. The town will review “the scope of any additional privacy breaches” and “the timeline and circumstances under which the recording function was activated.”
He also criticized the timing and tone of the prosecutor’s release.
“The selective nature of the information provided and the omission of critical contextual details create the appearance of a political response rather than a neutral disclosure,” Dodd said. “Such an approach does not assist the Town in addressing the underlying issues and does not enhance public trust.”
Prosecutor’s Office Findings and System Background
Investigators stated that the town’s VoIP system — purchased under a prior administration and installed in early 2024 — explicitly included call-recording functions. Incoming calls played a recorded message warning that calls may be recorded, and police personnel were informed internally that all calls would be captured. The office said it remains unclear whether civilian employees received the same notice.
Because the system could not separate police extensions from civilian extensions, all recorded calls were stored together. Prosecutors said a more expensive version of the system, which would have allowed partitioning, was offered but not purchased.
Only the Internal Affairs lieutenant had administrative access to retrieve recordings, which investigators said occurred roughly a dozen times for official purposes, such as investigations, internal affairs matters and Open Public Records Act requests. The system had no live-listening or “whisper” capability, ruling out real-time eavesdropping.
The Prosecutor’s Office also stated that several high-ranking Dover officials, including two business administrators and the director of professional standards and cybersecurity, were aware of the system’s capabilities, and that the town council approved monthly payments for the service.
Oversight and Ongoing Review
The Prosecutor’s Office said it briefed the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which authorized Morris County to continue the investigation.
“This Office takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and public trust,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Dodd said the town’s independent review will continue.
“Our priority is to safeguard the privacy rights of all Dover employees and residents,” he said. “We will ensure that this matter is handled with the seriousness it warrants.”
