Anti-police signs placed in yards of Maplewood officials spur investigation – NorthJersey.com

Officials in Maplewood and South Orange say police are investigating after someone placed signs with anti-police messages on the properties of two Maplewood committeemen.

The signs were left in Greg Lembrich’s and Vic De Luca’s yards on Tuesday, near their front doors, according to a joint statement by the Maplewood and South Orange governing bodies. The signs had “anti-police messages,” “derogatory and offensive language” and one of the signs included the name of South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll.

“Given the targeted nature of these actions, the recent horrific attack on the home of a New Jersey federal judge and the fact that a young child resides in one of the homes, police authorities are treating this matter seriously, and an investigation is ongoing,” the statement said. Judge Ester Salas lost her son in a shooting last week that also injured her husband. 

The signs come amid tensions between the public and police following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and the growing call for actions against police brutality and for defunding police departments.

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Members of the South Orange Board of Trustees and the Maplewood Committee condemned the “unlawful act,” saying the person or persons responsible for placing the signs in the yards were trespassing and committing vandalism. 

“Regardless of one’s views on the issue of defunding and/or disarming police, trespassing and vandalism under the cover of darkness crosses the line from activism into criminality,” the statement said.

The governing bodies said they support people’s right to express their views in a variety of different ways and discussion and debate of important issues are imperative.

“As a community, we are better than this, and we hope that other local leaders and organizations will join us in speaking out against these recent incidents,” the statement said.

Kaitlyn Kanzler covers Essex County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kanzler@northjersey.com Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8