Crime & Safety
Bloomfield Still Owes Cops for Legal Dispute Over Military Leave
The two township police officers were cleared of charges after being accused of taking improper leave to serve in Air Force Reserves.
A New Jersey Appeals Court has ruled that Bloomfield is still on the hook for $215,000 in legal fees due to a pair of township police officers.
On May 27, the panel of judges ordered the township to pay legal restitution to Michael McCracken and Hector Cartagena, who had been accused of taking time off from their police jobs and falsely claiming it as time spent serving in the military. [See related Patch article]
The township dropped all charges against the pair in 2014.
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An attorney for the two had previously stated that McCracken and Cartagena are reservists who served in the Iraq War. McCracken is a former Marine and current member of the Air Force Reserves. Cartagena served in the Army before joining the Air Force Reserves.
The time period in question occurred in 2008 and 2009 and involved both their overseas deployment and weekend training.
Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Fifteen days were disputed for McCracken and 29 were disputed for Cartagena, with the days in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Their attorney had stated the time being scrutinized included a period when Caragena was receiving medical treatment for a wound sustained in combat.
Pictured above: Michael McCracken and Hector Cartagena
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