Hell breaks loose, but where is chief?

Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan poses with a bicycle he bought while on duty in Montgomery Township, about a 40-minute drive from Edison. (Facebook photo)

In Edison, New Jersey, last Friday was a wild day by anyone’s estimation. A bomb scare at a local high school went on for more than three hours and an onslaught of officers and from a dozen agencies in three counties rushed to the scene. Roads were closed, traffic was redirected and students were evacuated.

Hours later, a Middlesex County grand jury indicted four Edison officers on numerous misconduct charges. One officer was accused of going home while on duty to watch the Super Bowl.

You might think Chief Thomas Bryan would be on the scene but the Chief decided it would be a perfect time to go bicycle shopping in uniform to buy an expensive racing bike 30 miles away that he plans to ride in the annual “Police Unity Tour,” an annual event that honors fallen officers an is a part of Police Week activities in Washington, D.C. in May.

The Chief’s shopping excursion became public knowledge when the bike store’s manager uploaded a Facebook photo of Bryan posing alongside his new Cannondale Supersix EVO Di2 that sells for $4,870.

According to a news report posted on NJ.com by reporter Mark Mueller, the repercussions were immediate and dramatic. An Edison patrol officer filed a complaint with Mayor Thomas Lankey and the president of the Superior Officers Association, Capt. Bruce Polkowitz, took aim at Bryan in a statement.

“During a major evacuation of a high school resulting from a bomb threat, along with officers getting indicted, better judgment could have been used instead of shopping for a bicycle out of town,” Polkowitz said. “I question what he would have done to another officer who did the same thing.”

The president of the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association also weighed in. “Bryan should have used a lot more caution,” President Pat Colligan, said. “The chief of the Edison Police Department should have a lot more on his plate than buying a bicycle on a workday. He’s got a significant amount of issues in his department. Not only is he in uniform, but he’s nowhere near the town where he works. It sends a message. He should have used better judgment.”

Bryan, in an emailed statement, said he did nothing wrong.

“I am a fitness enthusiast and avid bicyclist,” he said. “I wholeheartedly support officers from Edison and throughout New Jersey who participate in the annual Police Unity Tour to raise awareness and funds for law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. This complaint is frivolous. I drove to this bicycle shop on personal time – during my lunch hour last Friday – to pick up a bicycle that had been assembled for me. End of story.”

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