Richard Loccke, a labor attorney who was a major, behind-the-scenes force in shaping law enforcement policies at the municipal, county and state levels, died Monday at his home in Rutherford. He was 79.

Loccke and his small Hackensack firm represented nearly every North Jersey police union at one time, securing favorable contracts and large raises for cops while often drawing the weary ire of municipal officials who saw their budgets stretched.

Tall with a baritone voice, Loccke was seen as a forceful presence at the bargaining table by clients and opponents alike. David Jones, the former president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association who worked closely with Loccke, once likened him to boxer Mike Tyson. Loccke told NorthJersey.com in a 2005 profile that he wouldn’t characterize his negotiating style as overly aggressive.

“I’ve never intimidated anybody,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve never exploited anyone.”

The grandson of Sicilian immigrants, Loccke grew up in Rutherford and stayed there almost his entire life. He graduated from Rutgers University and then Seton Hall Law School in 1970. After a brief stint with an insurance company, Loccke went into labor law with his partner, Manuel Correia.

One of Loccke’s biggest coups came in 1977 when he negotiated a contract for the then-Bergen County Police that guaranteed the officers’ pay would always be within 5% of the highest-paid local police force in the county. By 2003, 80% of the 82-member force were making more than $100,000, excluding overtime.

Local police unions started using Loccke and his firm almost exclusively for contract negotiations, which allowed him to play one town off another. When police in one town received a generous raise, Loccke would argue before arbitrators that police in a neighboring town deserved the same creating a ripple effect across the region.

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If municipal officials argued that they could not afford generous raises, Loccke would often bring newspaper clippings to a bargaining session of expensive public works projects whether it was a new playground or road project. If the town could afford those big-ticket items, certainly it can afford raises for its cops, he’d argue.

Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, a budget hawk who often negotiated with Loccke, said the attorney used state binding arbitration laws to his advantage to secure the best deals. “He’s a tough opponent,” Lonegan said in 2005. “That’s his job. It’s to do the best he can for his bargaining unit, and I respect him for it.”

Loccke is survived by his partner, Ann Twomey, his son, Richard Edward Loccke and wife Susan of Ridgewood, his daughter, Christina Loccke and husband Tom Johnson of Montclair. He also has seven grandchildren, Olivia, Juliana, Andrew, Mirabelle, Claudette, Spencer and Cora.

Visitation will be at Calhoun Mania Funeral Home from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. A memorial service will be held at the Church of St. Mary in Rutherford on Friday at 9:30 a.m. followed by a burial at George Washington Cemetery.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Richard Loccke, labor lawyer who represented NJ police, dies