LAW AND DISORDER: County Sheriff interrupts class

Mercer County Sheriff Kevin C. Larkin and what appeared to be a female aide interrupted a State and Local Politics Class (POL 102) held in MS 205, at Mercer's West Windsor Campus on February 1.

Associate Professor Michael Glass was conducting a discussion of what changes students would propose to the state budget to avoid the expected $2 billion shortfall. Some students suggested cutting the salaries of what they felt were overpayed state administrators.

The issue of state employees who "double dip" into state pension plans was raised during the class. Students asked Prof. Glass for a local example. At that point, Prof. Glass provided examples of several law enforcement officers, including Sheriff Larkin, who collects a Police and Fire Retirement System Pension as well as a government salary.

Information about Larkin's pension was widely publicized in the Times of Trenton May 23, 2009 article entitled "Pension eligibility spurs controversy" by Anthony Coleman. The article described how "Larkin was cashing in on a move allowed under the state's pension system: he can legally continue working as sheriff (at a $129,634 annual salary) while collecting a pension based on his 'retirement' from that very job."

As reported by Coleman, Larkin has been collecting an $85,000 annual pension since January 1, 2009 after retiring from the Sheriff's Office at the rank of Chief Sheriff's Officer, while concurrently earning a $129,634 salary as County Sheriff.

When a student commented that they would not know what to do with the roughly $210,000 Sheriff Larkin makes in annual compensation, Glass said, "In the case of the Sheriff, it's not that much. He has [to pay] child support and alimonies."

The comments were made at roughly 7:30PM, when Brooke Seidl, 26, a student and County Clerk, apparently informed Sheriff Larkin of Glass's comments, via text message.

Russell Buckley, 19, who sat near Seidl that night, reports hearing her say she was contacting Larkin "right now," directly after Glass made the comments about Larkin. Buckley also reports hearing Seidl texting on her cell phone.

At 8:18PM, Mercer security logs indicate that Sheriff Larkin called the FA-107 Dispatcher "needing to reach Prof. Michael Glass." An index card requesting Prof. Glass contact Larkin was delivered to MS-205 at 8:26 PM, during the class break, according to the logs.

Glass indicated that he believed the note to be a prank from one of the students. "I thought it was a joke," said Glass. After the break Glass dismissed the supposed prank and proceeded with his lecture.

At around 9:20, a half hour before the class's scheduled 9:50 end time, Sheriff Kevin C. Larkin, dressed in a trenchcoat, opened the door to Prof. Glass's classroom. According to one student attending the class that night, Max Grindlinger, "[Larkin] said, 'Michael, can I see you for a minute?"

According to Buckley, Grindlinger and another student, Diane Walker, Sheriff Larkin and Prof. Glass had a roughly three-minute conversation outside of MS 205. No one overheard the conversation. The two then reentered the classroom, Prof. Glass introduced Sheriff Larkin and apologized for "making disparaging comments" about the Sheriff.

"[He] gives an apology while Sheriff Larkin is standing no less than six inches from him," said Grindlinger.

Both Buckley and Grindlinger report Sheriff Larkin as saying, "This isn't over," on his way out of the classroom. According to Buckley, Larkin's aide, who was waiting outside the classroom, said as the classroom door was closing, "You're a terrible teacher, you should get your facts from a book."

"I was surprised to see him show up at the classroom, and...I was wondering if it was appropriate for him, one, to be there, and two, to want to be in the class," said Glass. He added ,"I didn't feel it was the time or place to discuss it, but since he was physically there, I reacted in the way that I did."Glass also said, "I would say [Larkin and I have] had a friendly relationship over the last 30 years. He, in fact, worked at the college, at one time, early on in his career...back before he was even a County Sheriff's officer," Glass said, adding that there has not been any contention between the two in their long relationship when their "paths would cross at a number of Irish American fundraisers."

Asked if he felt intimidated, Prof. Glass said, "Yes...I thought...he'd have a clear understanding of what any given professor, whether it's me or anybody else, can or can't say in a classroom."

Prof. Glass says he does "not recall" the exact contents of his conversation with Larkin in the MS building hallway.

Glass says he used the example purely to illustrate the "dollars and cents" of law enforcement jobs. He said "at least a third to a half of [the students in the class] are Criminal Justice majors, they're all aspiring to work in law enforcement and I wanted to make them realize that currently, law enforcement has some of the most lucrative public salaries in the state of New Jersey, and hence, in the country...it was a whole financial discussion...as opposed to trying to denigrate any particular personality."

Tiajuana Paige, 21, a student in Glass's class said the professor's comments about Larkin improved her understanding of the course material, adding, "yes...well the class is political science, so we talk about politics."

Students in the class reacted strongly to the event.

"I was shocked more than anything. I was laughing because I was so surprised," said Buckley, adding "that's exactly what you don't want from a publically-elected official."

Walker said, "[Larkin and his aide] were very classless, and they called [Glass] by his first name no less."