BEDMINSTER - A retired township police sergeant is suing the township, claiming he was forced to retire because "I can no longer subject myself to the hostile and harassing environment."
Christopher Cummins, who joined the police department in 1993, was promoted to sergeant in 2001 and retired in May, alleges in the lawsuit filed Aug. 22 in Somerset County Superior Court that he had been "wrongfully bypassed" for promotion on "countless different occasions," including promotion to lieutenant four times and chief five times.
The township has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.
In the 13-page lawsuit, Cummins maintains he had been denied a promotion to lieutenant in 2023 because the township had "stealthily" changed the eligibility requirements so that another sergeant could be promoted.
Cummins also alleges that the township violated its own rules in appointing Frank Bernardo as chief in 2022 by only having one round of interviews, instead of two rounds.
The township did not give any examination for the promotion, Cummins alleged, but "rather in an extraordinarily odd, anomalous and awkward fashion" the Township Committee interviewed the candidates.
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In the lawsuit, Cummins maintains that "certain Bedminster executives ... specifically wanted Bernardo to succeed (Karl) Rock as Bedminster Police Department chief, regardless of the merit and fitness of other candidate."
Cummins, who states he has 10 more years in seniority than Bernardo and was "next in command by seniority," alleges that Rock "tarnished" his reputation and candidacy and "continuously spoke negatively" about Cummins to Township Committee members.
According to the lawsuit, soon after Cummins retired, the salary for the lieutenant's position that he was denied was raised from $143,000 to $165,000 a year.
Being denied the promotion to lieutenant has resulted in approximately $30,000 a year in loss of income plus "significant" losses in pension and benefits, Cummins contends.
Cummins, the lawsuit says, never received any formal discipline or received any sustained Internal Affairs complaints "which is virtually unheard of in all law enforcement circles."
Though the township ordinance says promotions should be based upon merit and fitness, the township promotes "whichever law enforcement officers it desires, regardless of merit," Cummins alleges.
The Bedminster Police Department has a chief, one lieutenant, four sergeants and 12 patrol officers.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.co m
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Retired Bedminster police sergeant sues over promotion denials
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