No 'Major' Punishments For Cherry Hill Cops Reported Last Year

CHERRY HILL, NJ — More than 350 police officers around New Jersey faced significant professional discipline last year. But none of them were part of the Cherry Hill Police Department, marking another clean year for the agency on the state's annual report on officer misconduct, released Wednesday.

In recent years, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has released an annual report showing which police officers around the state were fired, demoted or suspended for longer than five days. The reports reflect significant punishments issued since June 15, 2020.

Police agencies in New Jersey still have significant leeway in keeping internal discipline confidential. All discipline sustained before mid-2020 and lighter penalties sustained anytime remain concealed from public access. And the data doesn't include pending cases.

But so far, no officer representing Cherry Hill has appeared on the reports.

The following Camden County agencies had at least one officer who faced major discipline in 2022:

• Camden County Corrections
• Camden County Sheriff's Department
• Camden County Police Department
• Lindenwold Boro PD
• Pine Hill PD
• Waterford Township PD
• Barrington PD

Some of the steepest punishments among officers in Camden County included the following, according to the AG's report:

• Sgt. Kyle Abele, Camden County Corrections: suspended 45 days for calling out sick six times for his tours of duty from Poland and failing to provide a required doctor's note; then suspended 180 days for providing false statements to superiors.
• Officer Christopher Jones, Camden County Corrections: terminated after the Camden County Prosecutor's Office charged him with using excessive force on an inmate and creating an inaccurate report.
• Officer Jason Davis, Camden County Corrections: suspended 90 days after submitting a fraudulent family-leave application and then misleading the Internal Affairs Unit about its accuracy.
• Officer Sarmukh Singh, Camden County Sheriff's Department: suspended 180 days for conduct unbecoming. On Aug. 18, 2021, a law clerk from the Hall of Justice reported that Singh made inappropriate comments that were sexual in nature toward her and other female civilian employees.
• Lt. Kevin Wilkes, Camden County PD: suspended 132 days for failing multiple times to ensure the accuracy of his timesheets and obtain permission for leave time.
• Ptl. Phillip Marino, Pine Hill PD: suspended 321 days after an off-duty incident in which he was accused of threatening violence against another individual. During the altercation, he opened his firearm safe and threatened to kill the victim, her friend, her friend's child and himself, the AG's Office says. Marino resigned Dec. 31.
• Sgt. William Gallagher, Waterford Township PD: demoted after failing to back up officers unless specifically requested to assist. Gallagher admitted to idling and loafing in his patrol vehicle and at police headquarters, according to state officials.

Until recent years, the state shielded the identities of officers disciplined or fired. But days after then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in May 2020, then-Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued several directives involving police reform, including the disclosure of certain major-discipline violations from officers.

Grewal's order to release disciplinary records faced pushback from the State Police Benevolent Association, resulting in a year-long legal battle. The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled in June 2021 that the state could identify officers subjected to "major" discipline in the prior year and going forward. But police discipline from beforehand remains confidential.