OFFICER ACCUSED OF ECSTASY SALES COUNSELED STUDENTS ABOUT DRUGS

A police officer from Bayonne, N.J. who once served as a
drug-abuse-prevention instructor for schoolchildren was one of two officers
who were charged in the sale of Ecstasy to undercover officers, prosecutors
said yesterday.

According to the Bergen County prosecutor, John L. Molinelli, members of
the county narcotics task force made contact with Officer Michael Hurley,
32, of Bayonne, in Hudson County, early last week as part of an
investigation and arranged a meeting.

On Thursday, investigators went to the two-family home that Officer Hurley
shares with his father and another police officer, and bought a small
amount of Ecstasy, Mr. Molinelli said.

Investigators returned on Friday, and after a larger sale in front of his
home, the prosecutor said, arrested Officer Hurley, who has been on the
force for eight years.

Investigators who searched the home, which is owned by Officer Hurley's
father, a retired captain of the Bayonne Police Department, seized 414
Ecstasy pills and 50 bottles of ketamine, the prosecutor said. Officer
Hurley was charged with possession of Ecstasy and intent to sell;
possession of ketamine, known as Special K, with the intent to sell, and
selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, Mr. Molinelli said.

The police also arrested Officer Bruce Piechocki, 30, a three-year member
of the Bayonne Police Department, who also lives in the house. He was
charged with third-degree official misconduct for failure to report the
drug activity, of which the prosecutor said he was aware.

Mayor Joseph V. Doria Jr. of Bayonne said that the officers had been
suspended without pay and that the city would take action, which would
depend on the outcome of the charges.

"We are certainly upset, because there is no excuse for this type of
situation," Mr. Doria said. "They not only broke public trust, but also
violated it."

Officer Hurley had instructed schoolchildren as part of the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program, known as DARE, for several years, the mayor
said. Officer Hurley was released on Saturday after posting $50,000 bail.
Officer Piechocki was also released Saturday, on his own recognizance.

Several calls to Mark Smith, the Bayonne police director, and to Officer
Hurley's home were not returned. The case will be handed over to the Hudson
County prosecutor's office.