Newark Police chief Anthony Campos will leave the department amid a push by Newark officials to overhaul the administrations of the city's police and fire departments, multiple sources told NJ Advance Media.
NEWARK -- Police chief Anthony Campos will leave the department amid a push by Newark officials to overhaul the administrations of the city's police and fire departments, multiple sources told NJ Advance Media.
It is unclear whether Campos, a 29-year police veteran, has officially applied to the state for retirement from the department, when his final day as police chief will be or what his specific reasons are for leaving. Messages left with Campos were not returned.
Multiple sources with knowledge of Campos' status with the department said that his office has been cleared of personal effects since the weekend. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Campos, 49, began his career in Newark in 1986, working his way through the ranks until former Mayor Cory Booker named him chief in 2006.
In the following years, he clashed with then-Newark police director Garry McCarthy, and was suspended for flouting orders and allegedly patronizing an illegal motorcycle club bar, marking the first time a chief had faced such discipline in more than 20 years.
The move sparked a political and legal battle that included the temporary elimination of the police chief position and Campos' reassignment to the 5th Precinct as a deputy chief.
In 2013, Campos sued Booker, claiming the city's former mayor had pressured him to resign as chief and then reneged on promised pay raises and other incentives he offered in return. That suit was settled for $25,000 earlier this year.
Campos returned to the chief's office in 2014, after mayor-elect Ras Baraka tapped him to direct the department's day-to-day operations.
Campos, who according to state records earns a $177,169 annual salary as police chief, remains a figure in political circles in the East Ward, where he won a district leaders seat in 2012.
The move earned him attention from the police department's internal affairs unit over allegations he had improperly used sick time to further his political pursuits, but allies claim the probe was retribution from power-wielding rivals.
Campos' departure coincides with a recent proposal by Mayor Ras Baraka to merge leadership of the city's public safety and emergency agencies.
Introduced shortly before a preliminary Municipal Council meeting on Tuesday, the legislation would consolidate each department's upper ranks, placing police, fire and emergency management operations under the oversight of a new public safety director.
By establishing a new department, the legislation would also effectively eliminate the city's police and fire director positions. What that means for the future of police director Eugene Venable and fire director James Stewart is currently unclear.
Rumors have swirled over possible changes in both the police and fire department's administration over recent days, but Baraka's office has yet to say what specific personnel moves may be in the offing.
City spokeswoman Marjorie Harris declined comment on Campos' departure, saying that city officials will address recent personnel moves within city's public safety and emergency departments at a Dec. 21 event at City Hall.
Spokesmen for Stewart and Venable did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Staff reporter Dan Ivers contributed to this report.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
