The chief of the Dover Police Department has been accused of official misconduct for allegedly threatening an officer under his command.

The officer has claimed that the Dover mayor, the police chief, and a number of other police officers retaliated against him after he complained about the police department’s alleged practice of ticket-fixing for traffic violations, as well as the department’s alleged practice of allowing “stolen time” by certain officers. The reported retaliation prompted the officer to file a lawsuit against the town earlier this year.

According to the officer’s lawsuit, the police department either participated in or allowed a number of retaliatory acts, including harassment in the form of messages on a dry-erase board, an undeserved transfer out of the police department’s detective bureau, and failure to provide adequate backup for the officer during certain traffic stops and arrests.

Although the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office initially investigated the allegations, the officer eventually asked the town of Dover to conduct its own independent investigation. However, prior to turning over the investigation, the prosecutor’s office found evidence that some traffic tickets were potentially buried by being sent to a courtroom which did not actually exist.

When a special prosecutor took over the investigation, he reportedly uncovered evidence of the police chief threatening the officer during a closed-door meeting on July 8. The independent investigator previously served as a Morris County first assistant prosecutor.

The special prosecutor’s findings resulted in the town notifying the police chief that he should expect to be suspended for 10 days. However, the chief has opted to fight the punishment by requesting a disciplinary hearing.

For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Report: Dover Police Chief Was Caught on Tape Threatening Officer, Prosecutor Says.”