Judge refuses to remove Cape May police monitor

CAPE MAY, N.J. (AP) -- A judge has ruled that the Cape May County prosecutor has the authority to have someone monitor the police department in one of New Jersey's best-known beach towns.

The prosecutor's office announced Monday that a state judge had rejected Cape May's request to have the monitor removed. The judge also rejected claims that prosecutor Robert Taylor exceeded his legal authority.

City officials had argued that the monitor's installation amounted to a "hostile takeover." But Taylor said the monitor was there to ensure the integrity of a county investigation into compensatory time taken by an officer.

The judge noted that the monitor was put in place in response to the city's disclosure of confidential information after being reprimanded by the prosecutor's office for a similar earlier breach.

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