Palisades Park Cop Charged with Theft, Check Fraud Remains on Suspension

The Palisades Park Council recently voted to remove a suspended Palisades Park police officer from the borough’s payroll.

According to Palisades Park authorities, the suspect committed check fraud in the early part of 2015. He has been accused of altering a check that was made out to the borough and then putting the funds into his own personal bank account. The check was reportedly deposited for $1,000.

Sometime after the suspect allegedly committed the check fraud, Bergen County law enforcement started an investigation. He was eventually placed under arrest and charged with theft.

In August 2015, the suspect appeared in Bergen County Superior Court, located in Hackensack, New Jersey, and officially entered a plea of not guilty to the theft charges.

Not long after the criminal charges were filed against the suspect, Palisades Park police suspended the suspect without pay. The suspension meant that he was no longer eligible to get a biweekly check of $4,833.80 from the borough.

In December 2015, the suspect was returned to the borough’s payroll because the Palisades Park Borough Council had failed to vote on the police department’s suspension. As a result, the suspect received his paychecks again and was granted more than $38K in back pay.

Now the Palisades Park Council has finally voted to approve the suspect’s suspension, without pay. This means that the suspect will not be able to receive a paycheck until the criminal charges are resolved and his suspension from the police department is no longer in effect.

For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Palisades Park Suspends Pay for Cop Charged with Theft—Again.”