Mom With Poodle Followed by Township Administrator, Who Didn't ID Himself

Last spring, a man followed me while I was at Castle Park with my kids and poodle, tracked me with his camera (I don't know if he actually took photos), and then repeatedly demanded to know if I was a Chatham resident. 

Do you think that seems a little scary? So did I. It wasn't until after I called the police that I found out the man was Chatham Township Administrator Thomas Ciccarone. 

What happened was this:

I took my young son, daughter, and poodle to Castle Park on a nice spring day last June. The kids ran off to play and I crossed the playground intending to walk the poodle around the fields. But as I passed, a man nearby said something nasty about my dog, who was on a short leash and bothering no one. 

I told him it was none of his business and went on my way down the hill. There were signs prohibiting dogs from the artificial turf field, and signs telling everyone to keep off the grass field (which was under construction). So I turned back, only to find that the man had followed me down the hill and was looking through his camera viewfinder, which was pointed directly at me. 

As soon as he noticed I'd seen him, he lowered his camera and went back to the playground, where I angrily approached and asked why he was following and photographing me. He denied this and repeatedly demanded to know if I lived in Chatham. I felt threatened by his strange behavior, so I called the police. 

When the police arrived, the man went to speak with them and, after about 30 seconds, drove off in his car. The officer, Sgt. Robert Scheetz, told me who the man was and informed me that dogs were prohibited from Castle Park and that I had to leave. After much discussion, Sgt. Scheetz offered to show me the ordinance on dogs in parks, but when he pulled it up on his car computer, the law said dogs were prohibited from Chatham parks where signs were posted. 

Sgt. Scheetz acknowledged there were no such signs. They would be put up the following week, he said, and I needed to leave the park then and there. He did not address my concerns about Mr. Ciccarone's behavior, nor did my account of the man's behavior appear in the police report.

For reasons known only to him, Mr. Ciccarone chose not to reveal his identity to me and, I feel, treated me in a threatening and intrusive manner. As an appointed public official, if Mr. Ciccarone feels it's acceptable to treat me this way, I can only imagine how he has behaved with residents of Chatham.

When I later contacted Township Committee members about Mr. Ciccarone's actions, Mayor Nicole Hagner wrote saying she'd look into the matter and never got back to me despite several emails over the months that followed. Council Member Bailey Brower did choose to respond; sadly, his email showed an unfortunate ignorance of laws regarding dogs and the standards of civil society. 

Dog regulations vary from town to town and from park to park (with the exception of leash laws, which are statewide). I am a law-abiding citizen and a responsible dog owner; if I'd seen signs prohibiting dogs from Castle Park, I wouldn't have brought mine there.  Had the man who followed me instead helpfully introduced himself as a township official and told me that dogs were prohibited from Castle Park, I would have left. And had the mayor or Mr. Ciccarone offered an apology for his inappropriate behavior, I would not still be pursuing the issue. But I feel strongly that citizens in a democracy have a responsibility to speak up--if only to prevent this kind of thing from happening to someone else. 

Interestingly, a week after this encounter, I drove by Castle Park and noted at least five new "No Dogs" signs prominently posted just off the parking lot. My children and I haven't been back since. But I still want to know where a citizen can turn in cases like this? Have you had similar experiences with township officials? If so, please help your friends and neighbors. Don't stay silent. Speak up.