A New Jersey police chief facing charges of insubordination over multiple accusations, including offering an officer a promotion in exchange for sex with his wife and daughter, should be demoted, a hearing officer has determined.
Retired Judge Raymond A. Batten ruled that Vineland Police Chief Rudy Beu, 60, was guilty of insubordination, conduct unbecoming a public employee and neglect of duty as well as other charges.
City officials wanted to suspend the chief for 180 days without pay as well as demote him, pressofatlanticcity.com reported. But in the April 23 written decision, Batten recommended that Beu be demoted to deputy chief.
Beu, who has served as chief since 2017, has been suspended with pay from the $154,734-a-year job since Feb. 26, 2020, pressofatlanticcity.com reported.
'Suspension now for any period of time would achieve neither meaningful nor curative purposes,' Batten wrote in his recommendation.
60-year-old Rudy Beu has served as chief of the Vineland Police Department (pictured) since 2017
Vineland Police Chief Rudy Beu has denied the accusations against him and claimed that the charges violated a 45-day statute of limitations imposed under New Jersey law
Batten found Beu guilty of promoting his daughter to the Vineland police department's Juvenile Division over another officer who supervisors had determined needed to be transferred from patrol for medical reasons.
Beu also failed to recuse himself from a clear case of conflict of interest in a discipline matter involving his grandchild's father, who is a Vineland police officer, pressofatlanticcity.com reported.
The most serious accusation against Beu came from Vineland Sgt. Ronald DeMarchi who claimed that in April 2017 Beu promised him a promotion if Beu could have sex with his wife.
According to DeMarchi, he and his wife were watching a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game at McFadden's Sports Bar just outside Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Beu also happened to be there coincidentally.
Beu is accused of telling DeMarchi that he would promote him if Beu could leave the bar with his wife.
The officer said Beu and another high-ranking cop asked DeMarchi's wife what assets her husband had that would help him be promoted. At this point, Beu is alleged to have pointed up and down his wife's body.
'She felt very uncomfortable, and that is when she walked away,' DeMarchi said.
A few days later, Beu is accused of making a similar comment to DeMarchi, promising that he would promote him over another officer who was in line for the position, the report said.
In August, DeMarchi told the chief he didn't think it was fair to offer a promotion when there were no open positions available.
'I was about to leave, and he said, 'Well if I could have your wife',' DeMarchi said.
'As I go out the door, he says 'How about your daughter?' and he starts laughing.'
DeMarchi said that he began walking toward his truck which was parked outside of the department.
DeMarchi's son, a teenager, and his daughter, who was under 13 years old at the time, were waiting for him in the truck. The chief was accused of following DeMarchi to his truck and yelling to his children that he was going to promote their father.
In April 2017, Beu allegedly offered one of his subordinates a promotion on condition that he would have sex with his wife and underage daughter. The comment was made at McFadden's Sports Bar in Philadelphia (pictured in the above stock image)
The hearing officer also found that Beu refused to turn over at least 19 internal affairs files that city attorneys requested.
'Beu readily rises to the level of failure to perform duties, insubordination, conduct unbecoming a public employee, neglect of duty, and other sufficient cause, all as contemplated by (state law),' Batten wrote in his decision.
'An auspicious record,' Batten added. 'Demotion of Chief Beu to Deputy Chief is both well-measured and warranted.'
Beu denied the accusations against him and claimed that the charges violated a 45-day statute of limitations imposed under New Jersey law, nj.com reported.
Beu filed a federal defamation lawsuit last year claiming city leaders, police officers and union officials conspired to force him out of his job because of his efforts to expose corruption within the police department.
In March, a judge dismissed the conspiracy and whistleblower components of Beu's lawsuit but left in his allegations of defamation, nj.com reported.
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