Officer Received $35K, Promotion to Settle Lawsuit

A newly-minted police captain who filed suit against the borough and his superior officers in 2011 alleging they had created a hostile work environment and repeatedly denied him promotion, settled the lawsuit with the borough last month, Patch has learned.

Capt. Bob Kneer, a United States Marine veteran who joined the force in 1973, agreed to release his claims in exchange for a long-sought promotion to captain and $35,000 as compensation for "physical injury and/or illness arising from the events" laid out in the lawsuit, according to the settlement agreement.

Manager Tom Metzler declined comment on the settlement, except to say it was part of a global agreement that handled the pending police lawsuits against the borough. The borough's insurance carrier, which worked out the settlement, will pick up a majority of Kneer's $35,000 payment, he said.

In Kneer's lawsuit, which named Chief Erik Rose and Capt. Joseph Cook as individual defendants, the captain alleged he was repeatedly tormented by his superiors because of his age, and passed over in favor of officers more than 15 years his junior for the positions of captain, accreditation lieutenant and detective lieutenant.

Kneer claimed that, despite expressing his interest in a promotion to captain in 2010, he had to fight just to receive a customary in-person interview with the chief and borough manager. He was never interviewed for the position of accreditation lieutenant, his suit alleged. 

According to the suit, Kneer's detractors even amended the department's organizational chart in 2010, deliberately eliminating what had been a third captain position for which he was the top officer eligible.

Kneer, who had to be promoted on or before March 31 per the terms of the settlement, was sworn in as a Fair Lawn police captain on March 19 in front of a large crowd of supporters.

He now serves as head of the operations division of the department — the position previously held by Cook — and has vowed to keep open the lines of communication with officers and give back to the community in his new role.

Under the settlement agreement, Kneer will not be compensated for any lost income he may have earned had he been promoted sooner and is responsible for all of his attorney fees.

--

Follow Fair Lawn-Saddle Brook Patch on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to receive our daily newsletter in your inbox each morning