Carter v. Township of Bordentown

Bordentown Police Officer John Carter was served with a series of disciplinary notices charging him with, among other things, sleeping on duty. Although the Merit System Board upheld the penalty of termination for that offense, the Appellate Division reversed, concluding that imposition of that sanction violated the principle of progressive discipline. We granted the Township of Bordentown’s petition for certification, 188 N.J. 217, 902 A.2d 1234 (2006), and we now reverse and reinstate the penalty imposed by the Board.

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Carter has been a police officer in Bordentown since 1991. Because of…