Former New Brunswick Police Chief Hired as Security Director for New Brunswick Public Schools

Two months after retiring from the city police director’s job, Peter Mangarella is taking a new position as director of security for New Brunswick Public Schools.

The school job will pay Mangarella $90,000, in addition to the $116,405 annual pension he began collecting August 1 for his 26 years service in the city police department, according to state and city records.

Mangarella’s retirement from the police department, which took effect July 1, opened the way for his predecessor, Anthony Caputo, to come back to the city director’s job and simultaneously collect a paycheck and a pension.

Caputo now makes $120,000 as New Brunswick’s police director and also gets a $115,000 annual pension for retiring from the same job in March 2010, according to state records and city officials.

City spokesman Bill Bray did not return phone calls seeking comment on Mangarella’s new job. New Brunswick Schools superintendent Richard Kaplan also did not return a phone message requesting his input on Mangarella’s hiring.

“This is legal but immoral gluttony that hurts public workers and taxpayers,’’ said Patricia Bombelyn, who unsuccessfully ran against Mayor Jim Cahill in the Democratic mayoral primary. “It blocks advancement by lower level public employees, helps maintain high unemployment, fuels cynicism about the virtues of public employees and lends credence to negative stereotypes about New Jersey.’’

Cahill announced Mangarella’s retirement from the police director’s job on June 16. The Board of Education on June 21 approved a personnel report that included the resignation of the district’s personnel director, Ralph Stanley Harris, which would take effect July 1, the same day as Mangarella’s retirement. The personnel report did not say how much Harris was being paid and whether he was retiring or leaving for another reason.

Then, on August 16, the school board approved the hiring of Mangarella. When asked how many other people had applied for the position, School Business Administrator Richard Jannarone referred the question to Kaplan.

“Director Mangarella has given the people of New Brunswick 26 years of dedicated service and led the department with great expertise and effectiveness,’’ Cahill said in a June press release announcing the changes at the top of the city police department. “Under his leadership, crime continued to fall in our City and the department secured significant federal grant funds that has and will continue to enable us to hire new officers and significantly upgrade the department’s technologies in a tough economic climate. I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

The same press release included the following comment from Mangarella: “It has been my honor to serve the people of the City where I was born and raised. As a patrolman, a detective in both narcotics and major crimes, to serving as a Commander of Detectives, and ultimately the position of Police Director, I have lead a very fulfilling career.’’

That career resumes on Sept. 15, when his security job in the school district is scheduled to begin.