By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – There were 18 officers from four Essex County law enforcement agencies plus a college campus police department who were also written up for major discipline in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Aug. 2 report.
The said officers were in addition to the 29 police officers from seven “Local Talk” area municipal departments who were so written up between June 15, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2023. By major discipline, the said officers were disciplined by being suspended for at least five days, forfeiting vacation or other accrued time, being transferred, demoted, resigning or fired.
AG Matthew Platkin’s report had the Newark Police Division landing the “top” or “worst” 10 lists of major discipline incidents with 16. The county’s corrections department, with 12, also made that list of dubious distinctions. They were among the 167 law enforcement agencies who reported to the NJAG’s office.
ESSEX COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
OFF. BRYAN DUNN. Suspended 150 days for unbecoming conduct and excessive absenteeism. Officer had called out Sick Without Pay unapproved, since Aug. 11, 2021. He had entered into a settlement with DOC July 27, 2021 over 120 days’ SWOP.
OFF. BRIAN HANLON. Suspended six days for insubordination, neglect of duty, unbecoming conduct and incompetency. Officer was accused of arriving at a traffic control site by parking county vehicle and keeping its emergency lights – and not actually controlling traffic — during the eight hour shift. He allowed other county officers to cross Doremus Avenue without aid. Officer also addressed his report to his superior as “Provisional” Captain.
Hanlon was earlier suspended 10 days for not responding to an activated code alarm by staying in a perimeter vestibule with two other officers and leaving in a county van.
OFF. IDESHA HOWARD. Terminated for unbecoming conduct. An Internal Affairs investigator had found that the officer had falsified her close custody observation report; she had reported conducting five tours when she actually did two.
SGT. JASON JARMIN. Suspended 41 days for conduct unbecoming an officer. Two civilian scheduling employees told master control that the sergeant had tried to start an “inappropriate conversation” with them while on their way to drop off the 2-10 schedule and on their way out. Jarmin then entered master control and made physical contact with one of the schedulers while they were talking with the counts control officer.
Jarmin was also earlier observed as being asleep at his post for 40 minutes.
SGT. EBONY MULLIN. Suspended 150 days for unbecoming conduct, withholding information or providing false information.
OFF. JAMIL OTERO. Suspended five days for unbecoming conduct, incompetency. Accused of not constantly observing an inmate in a dry cell, falling asleep while the inmate removed a contraband cellular phone from his own bodily cavity, destroying said phone and spiriting its pieces out of his cell.
OFF. RADI RICE. Suspended 20 days for sleeping in the intake and pre-book area while on duty. Lieutenant on duty had him write why he was sleeping. Accused of bypassing a cell sense machine to snap photos of master control, center control and three lieutenants’ desks with her own phone.
OFF. MICHAEL ROMERO. Suspended 10 days for falling asleep and reawakening for 34 minutes while at the pre-book desk.
OFF. KELLY ROUSE. Suspended 20 days for leaving behind his department-issued handgun in a University Hospital restroom and failing to notify his supervisor of leaving his post to retrieve the firearm.
OFF. RANDY ULERIO. Suspended 60 days for six charges of failing to perform duties, incompetence and violating county departmental rules and regulations. He was accused of opening a cell in addition to the six he was assigned to for inmate recreation – and the extra cell’s inmate knocked another inmate unconscious in the dayroom.
OFF. KIANA WILSON-CARTER. Suspended 30 days for leaving behind her department handgun in a University Hospital restroom and failing to notify supervisor of leaving her post for retrieval.
OFF. MUNAJJ ZAYID. Suspended 15 days for insubordination. Zayid was taken off inmate extraction duty after yelling at the inmate and his sergeant, “Hurry up, I don’t have all day.” The supervising lieutenant sent the officer to master control, where he was excused that day.
ESSEX COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
OFF. JAVIER COLON. Suspended seven days for “Conduct prejudicial to good order.” Accused of submitting “invalid military orders.”
OFF. VANESSA CUEVAS. Suspended eight days for engaging in an unauthorized pursuit of a stolen motor vehicle.
RECRUIT LOUIS SCAPPATICCIO. Terminated for differential treatment. Accused of making racial comments to a fellow police academy recruit.
ESSEX COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE
DET. SAMOURI CLEGG. Resigned for unbecoming conduct. Provided false report of Aug. 28, 2023. He reported that the personal firearm in his vehicle was an empty holster with an empty magazine. An Essex County Sheriff’s Office report and “BWC footage” indicated otherwise.
NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY POLICE
OFF. MICHAEL CAPANO. Suspended 30 days and resigned for violating code of ethics, core values. Was arrested by Paramus Police for shoplifting. NJIT PD would have suspended the officer for 30 days regardless of his resignation.
SGT. CHARLES KIM. Suspended 60 days for neglect of duty, related charges. Sgt. was accused of abandoning his on-duty shift while being the only shift supervisor and leaving Essex County with a department vehicle for “a personal, non-emergent matter.”
