Berkeley Heights quietly fired police officer.

In October 2013, the Township of Berkeley Heights (Union County) entered into a settlement agreement with one of its police officers and the local PBA.  The agreement called for the officer's employment to be terminated effective September 27, 2013 with the officer agreeing to seek nothing further from the Township beyond $24,247.14 in accrued wages, overtime and vacation time.  Interestingly, the agreement specifically requires that the officer's "positive drug test results" be sent to New Jersey's Central Drug Registry.

The terminated officer is Nicholas A. Franks and the settlement agreement is on-line here.  Franks was suspended without pay effective May 13, 2013 for unspecified disciplinary charges.  The agreement reserves Nicholas Franks' right to apply for unemployment benefits, to seek withdraw of his pension contributions and to apply for a disability pension.

I received the settlement agreement yesterday in response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request I made after receiving an anonymous tip that Franks had been fired.