Black Police Chief Eric Mason - "I didn't have to kill any white people" comment.....

A release of Cranford Police Chief's Phone Call Raises Eyebrows - A recording of a nearly eight-year-old phone call with his son surfaced shortly after Chief Eric Mason was named the fulltime township administrator.

One day after Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason announced his plans to retire from the Police Department to become the fulltime township administrator, a video has surfaced that includes audio from an eight-year-old phone call with his son in which Mason jokes that his day was going well because he "didn't have to kill any white people."

The video, placed on Youtube by someone calling himself or herself GazeeboBricks, features photos of Mason as audio from the call between him and his son Christopher plays in the background. According to the township attorney, the call was made shortly after Mason was named Police Chief in 2003. Mason is the township's first African American chief.

As the controversy erupted, Mason was unavailable for comment. His secretary, Jennifer Burns, said Mason is out of the country on a week-long vacation. GazeeboBricks was contacted by Patch through his YouTube account, but has not responded to requests for comment and additional information.

Mayor David Robinson said he spoke to Mason just before he left for vacation. When they spoke, the chief alerted the mayor to the release of the video.

"He indicated that the (recorded phone call) was from years ago and it was a private conversation with his son about family matters," Robinson said. "The Township Commitee at the time determined that it didn't affect his ability to be the police chief, so a retread of it in 2012 doesn't affect his ability to be the township administrator."

Deputy Mayor Andis Kalnins said he knew nothing about the video until it was brought to his attention Thursday.

Following the Feb. 28 Township Committee meeting, during which Robinson announced that Mason would be taking on the township administrator job, the mayor said members of the governing body "spent a fair amount of time deliberating this appointment." The decision to appoint Mason was unanimous among members of the governing body.

In looking to fill the position, the mayor said officials also contacted the League of Municipalities to discuss "best practices" and obtain guidance. One piece of advice from the League indicated that "the best candidate is the person the governing body feels most comfortable with," Robinson said.

"Chief Mason has earned that right to be considered township administrator," Robinson said Tuesday.

Township Attorney Phil Morin said he has not spoken to any of the members of the governing body regarding Mason's comments in the video, but he believed the committee members should discuss it. Morin was appointed township attorney in January. Morin spoke favorably of the chief's "temperament, demeanor and management style."

While Kalnins and Robinson did not dismiss the remarks made by the police chief in the video, they each expressed their concern about the apparent security breach within the police department that led to the release of the recorded phone call. It is not known whether the recording was obtained recently, or if someone copied it when it was made and waited until Mason's retirement annoucement before releasing it embarrass the outgoing chief.

"I think a larger concern is who stole this information," Robinson said. "Clearly, there is somebody out there who has a vendetta against Eric Mason."

"This was maybe eight years ago, at the time Chief Mason was appointed chief. It was a rumor referenced online often," according to former Mayor Daniel Aschenbach, "It was a private conversation between father and son on the stress of being Cranford's first black police chief. He apologized then to Township Committee members individually. I believe it was a crude reference in private to the worst imaginable thing. Cranford is a progressive community and will understand [that is was not said in a] mean context. I believe Chief Mason has treated all individuals in an inclusive and open way. Tough jobs take tough skin."

The video, depicting a screen shot of the township's website behind an audio recording of a phone call between Mason and his son Christopher was posted on YouTube just hours after Tuesday's Township Committee meeting. The video also appeared on Cranford Talk, a local community forum, where detractors also commented on the chief's qualifications, as well as the context of the phone call that can be heard on the recording.

While it is not known who obtained the recording of the phone call from the police department, or who made the YouTube video, it appears to reflect a joke between a father and son meant to diffuse a tense situation in the wake of Mason's appointment as the first African American police chief in a town that, according to the 2000 census, was 93 percent caucasian.

The following exchange is transcribed from the from the call. To hear the full five-minute conversation, click on the link to the [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6mAopX5FM"]YouTube video[/ame].

[INDENT]Christopher (Approximately one minute into the call):"How are things going?"

Mason: "Yea....(inaudible) Yeah man, I'm the H.N.I.C. [Head N**** In Charge], man."[/INDENT]