Westfield's Retired Police Chief Not Receiving Sick-Time Payout

WESTFIELD, NJ – Former Chief of Police David Wayman will receive no sick-time payout, Westfield officials confirmed Tuesday.

"Wayman was not paid out for sick days," Westfield Public Information Officer Kim Forde said.

The state did approve pension benefits for Wayman, who retired on Aug. 1.

"All pension decisions are made by the NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits," Forde said.

Sick-time payout has become a contentious issues in New Jersey, with many retiring officials getting massive paydays. Former Bayonne Chief of Police Andrew Sisk, 52, retired the same day as Wayman and according to a report from the Jersey Journal will receive $260,000 in unused sick time.

Sisk will receive five payments of $52,246.52 through 2022, totaling $261,232.60 for unpaid sick time and other compensation, the report said. As chief of police, he earned a yearly salary of $252,923.

According to Data Universe, Wayland earned a salary of $168,968 annually. The Town of Westfield allows for an employee to accumulate 90 days of sick-time and bank the time for up to six years. Wayman served as chief since April of 2012 capping a three-decade career in law enforcement.

Wayman left his post after consultation with the Union County Prosecutor's office and the town's labor counsel, Mayor Shelley Brindle said in a release.

The UCPO has stayed mum on the chief's departure. "The Prosecutor's Office cannot confirm details about, or the existence of, investigations of this nature," Mark Spivey, spokesman with the UCPO told Patch.

NJ Advance Media, meanwhile, identified two incidents that raised questions in recent months without saying they had anything to do with the chief's retirement:

• Earlier this year, the daughter of Westfield police captain John Ricerca was not ticketed until a month after a serious car accident, according to NJ Advance Media, even though the crash report found her liable. Her tickets were transferred and handled by Mountainside Municipal Prosecutor James Forest, an ex-Westfield councilman, and the case was dismissed.
• NJ Advance Media also revealed two police accident reports with the same case numbers involving a hit-and-run accident involving a police vehicle. One police report said the Westfield Conservatory Center incident happened on March 7; another police report listed the same incident as happening on April 9.

In the accident case, Ashley Redding told nj.com she's upset no one was held accountable after the police captain's daughter collided with her car. The crash, she said, hospitalized her, forced her into serious financial trouble and she wasn't cleared immediately to return to her job as a school psychologist in Paterson.

Since Wayman's departure Captain Chris Battiloro has served as acting chief while a permanent replacement is sought.

(Image via Town of Westfield, NJ Police Department)

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