Bridgeton officer fighting for missing paychecks

There’s a police officer in Bridgeton, N.J., fighting for three missing paychecks. But that’s not the beginning or the end of the story.

Shawn Reed says he’s owed more than 200 hours of payment for work with the Bridgeton Police Department. Police Benevolent Association Local 94 President Jeff Bordley says the missing checks stem from a five-year tension between Reed and the city.

The News of Cumberland County has the full story on Reed’s latest battle with the city, which will play out at a yet-unscheduled Public Employees’ Retirement Trust board hearing.

Reed used up his sick leave in 2006 following a drinking incident at at PBA picnic that left him with a broken ankle. Policy changes when he was out prevented him from returning to desk duty and using the department’s sick bank. What followed was a charge of job abandonment and a fight to get his job back.

Though Reed won a suit against the city last year to the tune of $200,000, Bordley called the missing checks “continued harrassment” against Reed.

Reed is set to retire June 30.