DOVER — Dr. Louis A. Valori, Principal Owner of The Valori Group LLC, has issued a detailed response to the Morris County Police Chiefs Association following its recent letter criticizing his firm’s analysis of the Dover Police Department.
Valori emphasized that his report was not an investigation, but a fiscal and operational review intended to give Dover’s elected officials an honest look at the sustainability of the department’s budget and staffing model. “Nearly 30 percent of the Town’s budget is consumed by one department. That is not an opinion — that is fact,” he stated.
According to Valori, the study relied strictly on hard data, including budgets, contracts, and overtime costs. He rejected the Association’s claim that certain contractual obligations, such as Detective Stand-By Pay and Extra Duty pay, should not be considered. “Those costs are taxpayer obligations. They affect pensions, liabilities, and overall spending,” he wrote, noting that federal reimbursements do not erase the inefficiencies of an overtime-driven model.
He also pointed to Dover’s contractual minimum staffing requirements, which he says force the town into overtime dependency. “Whether the mandate is three officers plus a supervisor, or four officers plus a sergeant, the reality is the same: Dover’s finances cannot sustain this model,” Valori said.
In his response, Valori challenged comparisons to past studies, stressing that his analysis reflects Dover’s current 2025 fiscal realities, where overtime has grown while revenues have not. He also defended his qualifications, citing his law enforcement and military background as well as advanced academic training in public administration and organizational leadership.
“Your attempt to discredit me personally does not alter the facts,” Valori wrote. “The average Dover resident earns approximately $30,000 annually. Asking them to subsidize runaway overtime and a department that consumes nearly one-third of the municipal budget is not sustainable governance.”
Valori concluded that his report was impartial, data-driven, and focused on fiscal responsibility. He described the Association’s letter as a “defensive maneuver designed to preserve the status quo,” and urged Dover’s Mayor and Council to act on facts, not rhetoric.
