26 N.J. Troopers Fired Or Punished In 2015 Because Of Bad Behavior: Internal Report

An internal report shows that 26 New Jersey state troopers were fired, suspended or punished in other ways in 2015 because of misconduct.

Four of those officers were either fired or forced to quit for offenses ranging from domestic violence to engaging in racially offensive behavior, according to the N.J. State Police Office of Professional Standards and Internal Investigation and Disciplinary Process.

The 26 officers were punished for "major" incidents, as described in the report, that typically involve troopers who were forced to quit, terminated or typically received a suspension that was more than five days.

During 2015, there were 727 total "reportable" incidents involving troopers who violated administrative and performance rules, a 1 percent increase from the previous year.

The State Police did not identify the officers involved in "major" incidents, but the agency did provide a synopsis of each case:

• An officer pleaded guilty to violating New Jersey Motor Vehicle Statutes, acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the Division while off-duty by utilizing troop transportation without authorization, consuming alcohol and operating troop transportation and failing to safeguard division property. The officer pleaded guilty in municipal court to driving while intoxicated. The officer served a 720-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty by having questionable associations, engaging in racially offensive behavior and publicly discussing police patrol procedures. The member was required to forfeit all accrued time and separate from employment with the division.
• An officer was found guilty of violating New Jersey criminal statutes and a municipal ordinance by violating a temporary restraining order, engaging in Domestic Violence harassment and mishandling a firearm. The member was terminated from employment with the Division.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for violating division medical policy and procedures by using a pattern of sick leave and duty time in an attempt to circumvent the medical policy reporting requirements, and for habitually abusing sick leave time and providing false or misleading statements during an internal investigation. The officer served a 180-day suspension and was required to separate from employment.
• An officer pleaded guilty to violating New Jersey motor vehicle statutes, acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty by utilizing troop transportation without authorization, and consuming alcohol while operating troop transportation. The officer pleaded guilty in municipal court to driving while intoxicated. The officer served a 540-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division for becoming publicly intoxicated, and engaging in disorderly behavior which resulted in "ejection" from a private establishment, which required law enforcement response. The officer also failed to notify the division of these incidents, and for involvement in a domestic violence incident and for creating public alarm. The officer served a 60-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division for engaging in disorderly conduct, and engaging in a verbal altercation with a law enforcement officer who was acting in an official capacity. The officer served a 180-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty for publicly disorderly behavior after consuming alcohol which resulted in three separate law enforcement responses. The officer served a 60-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty for engaging in domestic violence harassment of an estranged spouse. The officer served a 30 day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty for failure to safeguard an off-duty weapon after consuming alcohol, and for providing misleading statements to an investigating law enforcement agency. The officer served a 45 day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty for entering command staff offices, accessing documents without authorization and disseminating an image of a document to another enlisted officer. The officer served a 60-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty for utilizing excessive force on a suspect by applying OC spray and a foot strike on the suspect without justification. The officer served a 120-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to violating New Jersey motor vehicle statutes and acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty. The officer pleaded guilty in municipal court to driving while intoxicated after being involved in a two-car accident while operating troop transportation. The officer had departed an assigned post without authorization, purchased and consumed alcoholic beverages and then operated troop transportation prior to the accident. The member served a 56-day suspension, forfeited all accrued vacation and personal leave time and was required to separate from employment with the division.
• An officer pleaded guilty to conducting a troop transportation motor vehicle accident investigation in a culpably inefficient manner and failing to follow proper mobile video recorder procedures. The officer served a 20-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for failing to properly document contact with a confidential source, and for the culpably inefficient manner in which a confidential source was transported in troop transportation. The officer served a 10-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for failing to properly report a subordinate enlisted member's involvement in a domestic violence incident. The officer served a 10-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty by consuming an alcoholic beverage prior to operating troop transportation and for damaging property during a verbal argument with their spouse. The officer served a 20-day suspension.
• An officer was found guilty of acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for failing to properly handle and secure evidence. The officer served a 15-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for failing to provide the proper supervisory oversight for a troop transportation motor vehicle crash and criminal investigation and for failing to properly notify the Division of the incident. The officer served a 30-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division for failing to properly supervise subordinate members during an alcohol related troop transportation crash investigation. The officer served a 30-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty for transporting juveniles in assigned troop transportation and for allowing the juveniles to remain in the vehicle unattended. The officer served a 10-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty for making race, gender and ethnic based derogatory comments while in the work place. The officer served a 30-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in both an official and unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division. While on-duty, the officer displayed improper attitude and demeanor during a motor vehicle stop and failed to follow MVR procedures. Additionally, the member engaged in inappropriate conduct while off-duty by being involved in a domestic dispute and failing to report the incident to the division. The officer served a 10-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty for unauthorized use of troop transportation, failure to carry duty weapon and failure to safeguard the duty weapon and other division equipment. The officer served a 10-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an official capacity to the discredit of the division while on-duty for departing his assigned post without authorization and conducting personal business. The officer served a 120-day suspension.
• An officer pleaded guilty to acting in an unofficial capacity to the discredit of the division while off-duty for inappropriate behavior by engaging in unwanted physical contact with another enlisted member, and a civilian state employee, while attending a work-related function. The officer served a 30-day suspension.

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