Saddle Brook police officers provided escorts for chief’s funeral home

Saddle Brook police Chief Robert Kugler is facing corruption charges after prosecutors say he used police vehicles to provide escorts for his funeral home business.

Kugler, 59, who has been chief since 1995, ordered officers to use police vehicles for police escorts between January 2019 and August 2020 while on duty without compensating the township, according to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.  The processions were to cemeteries located both in Saddle Brook and beyond its borders.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office has taken over supervision of the Saddle Brook police department.

A township ordinance prohibits use of police vehicles for escort services with the exception of escorts for the municipal government of Saddle Brook or nonprofit organizations.

Kugler, who is a Republican candidate for Bergen County sheriff, is listed as the funeral home's manager on its website. His father Edward Kugler founded the home in 1963 and died in October. Edward was Saddle Brook's first elected mayor.

Kugler is charged with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree official misconduct and third-degree corruption of public resources.

A message for Mayor Robert White was not immediately returned on Monday afternoon. According to the Daily Voice, White previously served as a deputy police chief.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ