Police in Jersey City, New Jersey are fighting to get their vehicles back after Public Safety Director James Shea reportedly forced officers to return 12 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles.

The slightly convoluted story comes to us from The Jersey Journal, which reports Shea demanded the vehicles be returned after a suspect lead police on a six mile long chase that ended in a crash that left a 28-year-old man with serious burns.

IShea reportedly demanded the police precincts involved in the chase handover the crossovers which were delivered just last week. The bizarre power struggle has left the police outraged, as sources told the publication some officers no longer have a vehicle to drive.

A city spokeswoman declined to comment on the allegations but the President of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association didn’t hold back as Carmine Disbrow says Shea set “a dangerous precedent that our members will be penalized for doing their jobs.” Disbrow added Shea “has alarmingly created yet another safety issue for our members and residents, and effectively made it harder and more dangerous to do our jobs.”

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