New Jersey police officers are learning that using the “N-word” can officially get them fired

A judge has ruled that two New Jersey police officers were caught on tape using the n-word in racist rants can be officially dismissed after collecting six-figure salaries during his suspension, the New York Post reports.

Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh ruled that Clark County Police Chief Pedro Matos and Sergeant Joseph Teston can finally be punished following a 2019 investigation.

Whistleblower Lieutenant Antonio Manata captured the two men discussing previous cases. Referring to a 2017 case involving a bias incident in which a black doll was found hanging at a local high school, Matos was heard saying: “Because I want to prove that they are f****** n******.” On another tape, Teston was heard saying that a black suspect had a “big damn monkey face.”

According to NJ.com, the scandal exploded after it was revealed that Clark Township had reached a $400,000 settlement to Manata in 2020. after he threatened to release the recordings of the officers and the former mayor, Sal Bonaccorso, which was also recorded using racial slurs and referring to women in law enforcement as “damn disasters.”

Attorney General Matthew Platkin called for the resignations of Matos and Teston in November 2023 after the criminal investigation was postponed. He also urged that a third officer involved, Captain Vincent Concina, be demoted after being accused of retaliating against Manata.

Bonaccorso is currently serving a three-year probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit official misconduct and forgery. However, Jersey taxpayers unknowingly paid the racist officers more than $2.6 million in salaries since their suspension. Matos was paid $979,298, while Concina received $178,979 and Teston $147,556.

Each officer’s pay increased by more than 14% after their 2020 suspension.

In lawsuits that were later dismissed, the three police officers argued that the recordings violated their procedural safeguards. Their lawyers claimed that the lengthy delays in investigations were “ungodly” and argued that their clients should not face any consequences as a result. Under New Jersey state law, internal affairs charges must be filed within 45 days of gathering “sufficient information” to support the charges, beginning once a criminal investigation is completed.

The officers claim the investigation against them was completed in April 2022, about a year and a half before Platkin’s office filed a report.

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