Chief Morrell Lashes Out at GOP Council Candidate and Chairman for Criticizing Him

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Chief Morrell Lashes Out at GOP Council Candidate and Chairman for Criticizing Him

Wednesday, April 02, 2025

UPDATED/CORRECTION

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (April 1 2025)(CNBNews)--At the February Gloucester City Council meeting, Police Chief Brian Morrell read a prepared statement criticizing Sandy Reed, a longtime resident currently running for a council seat at large on the Republican ticket, for expressing her opinion about the January 12 shooting in the 600 block of Ridgeway Street. He also made a cheap jab at Reed for misspelling words and criticized Republican chairman Jason Fanning.

Morrell warned Reed to be careful about what she says about him, as he is not an elected official, and she could be sued.

“I’ll remind you that I am not an elected official. The men and women of the Gloucester City Police Department are not elected officials. You should pay close attention to the public comment statement as it pertains to employees, and you are not immune to civil litigation for remarks made.”

RELATED: CNBNEWS OPINION:

Censorship of the Public's Right to Speak is Hurting the Community of Gloucester City

It is a rare and notable occurrence for a Gloucester City Police Chief to step into the political arena, as they traditionally maintain a stance of neutrality, serving primarily at the discretion of the mayor. However, Brian Morrell's recent actions—specifically his vocal criticism of two Republicans seeking to unseat incumbents in the forthcoming election—are not particularly surprising. In our opinion, one underlying reason for his outburst is the potential threat to his temporary position as city administrator should the Republicans succeed in their campaign. That temporary position has lasted five years. His salary for the police job is $185,000, and $45,000 for the administrator role. Presently, Morrell's compensation for the police chief's position exceeds the average pay for a police chief in New Jersey and nationwide, as per the ZipRecruiter database.

More significantly, Morrell has a strong aversion to criticism and is quick to voice his discontent whenever he feels unjustly judged.

Five years ago, when he was first appointed to the role of city administrator temporarily, we expressed skepticism about whether one individual could effectively juggle the responsibilities of two demanding full-time positions. Our concerns were not aimed solely at him, but rather directed at the broader implications of such a dual-role arrangement. Yet, he took our comments to heart, leading to an intense and heated response in which he unleashed a torrent of frustration. For a tense 10 minutes, he admonished us in a raised voice, passionately defending his abilities while expressing his displeasure at our candid opinions.

From that moment, he stopped sending CNBNews any further press releases or crime reports. Sadly, his censorship did not affect us but did prevent the public from being informed about crime in their community.

What stood out from that conversation was his belief that because we asked him for a favor, we should not have written the editorial. A relative living in Gloucester County was threatening to commit suicide, and we asked him if he knew someone we could contact for help.

To obtain copies of the local investigation into the Ridgeway shooting, we submitted an OPRA request to Gloucester City Municipal Clerk Vanessa Little, who also serves as the City's Custodian of Records. We also contacted the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, requesting copies of their research into this shooting. Neither agency responded to our request.

The information that Morrell provided at the February council meeting should have been released before now as the public had a right to know about this unprecedented crime in Gloucester City. We could be wrong but it appears the only reason this information became known now is because he was lambasted by Reed. No one was struck by the seven rounds that were fired at 609 Ridgeway Street. Some of those rounds also struck the adjoining home at 607 Ridgeway. That property was empty. Morrell states that the public was not in any danger. Even so, he stationed officers in the neighborhood as a precaution.

Without directly mentioning names, he suggested that some wanted to use this incident on social media for political gains.

For 23 days, no one in Gloucester City or elsewhere knew anything about this hideous crime. If it wasn't for Republican Chairman Jason Fanning, they might still have been kept in the dark before information became public by accident.

In relation to the public's right to know, did the Gloucester City Police Department fail the New Jersey State Chiefs of Police (NJSCOP) Accreditation review conducted last October? If so, which specific areas of the review did they fail to pass? Additionally, is it true that Morrell’s police department is the only department in the state last year to have failed this accreditation?