Since-Fired Secaucus Police Officer Named In Major Discipline Report

SECAUCUS, NJ — This week, the New Jersey Attorney General published this list of all the police officers in the state who were subject to "major discipline" in 2022.

You can read the entire list here; it was released Wednesday.

One officer from Secaucus was named in the report: Matthew Murphy was a probationary Secaucus police officer last year when police say he became involved in a road rage incident while off duty. He was armed at the time and threatened the occupants of the other car, said the Hudson County prosecutor.

Murphy was fired by Secaucus Police after the incident.

Eight officers from Hoboken Police were named; read why below.

“Major discipline” is internal discipline defined as termination (being fired from the police force), reduction in rank, or suspension of more than five days.

It was a controversial decision to release the Major Discipline report:

When Gov. Murphy's administration first decided in 2021 to make the list public, a half dozen police unions sued him and his Attorney General. The case went all the way to the NJ Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled with Murphy that the report could be released.

For comparison, the state of New Jersey does not publish such a list of public schoolteachers who are disciplined on the job, or of all the state workers who have been demoted, suspended or fired.

The decision to make the Major Discipline file public is part of Murphy's goal of making police in New Jersey more transparent and accountable, in the wake of public protests about fatal police shootings and the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Patrick Colligan, president of the state Policemen’s Benevolent Association, New Jersey’s largest police union, told NJ.com at the time the Supreme Court's decision was “frustrating and disappointing," and that releasing the report will only humiliate officers, some of who committed very minor infractions while on the job. For example, an officer can be named on the list for "insubordination" to his or her boss.

"(Our union) does not and will not protect bad officers who violate the public trust and, yet, the 99.9% of good men and women serving in law enforcement continue to find themselves under attack,” Colligan said at the time.

From Secaucus PD:

Police Officer Matthew Murphy
Terminated: Yes
Demoted: No
Suspended: No
# of Days Suspended: 0
Sustained Charge: Obedience to Laws, Rules and Written Directives & Action Off-Duty
Description: Engaged in conduct during a road rage incident, while armed and off-duty, that resulted in criminal charges filed by the HCPO for threatening the occupants of another vehicle. He was terminated from his probationary position as a police officer.

8 officers from Hoboken PD:

Police Officer Ricky Truppner
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 120
Sustained Charge: Conduct Unbecoming Of A Police Officer
Description: Officer Truppner was suspended for 120 days after it was determined that he utilized a law enforcement database in order to obtain the name of an arrestee. He later used that information to seek a personal relationship with said arrestee.

Sergeant Robert Roman
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 25
Sustained Charge: Conduct Unbecoming Of A Police Officer
Description: Sgt. Roman was suspended for 25 days for calling the NJ Suicide Hotline and telling them he was going to commit suicide. Sgt. Roman later confessed he made up the allegation in order to conduct an unauthorized test of their services.

Police Officer Mathew Isler
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 180
Sustained Charge: Incompetency / Neglect of Duty
Description: Officer Isler was suspended for 180 days following an incident where he neglected his duty. The incident involved not arresting an actor responsible for having committed a robbery in the presence of the officer. Officer Isler also did not include critical details surrounding the incident in his investigation report.

Police Officer Nathaniel Arocho
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 30
Sustained Charge: Insubordination
Description: Officer Arocho was suspended for 30 days for direct insubordination after failing to comply with the lawful order of a supervisor to remain on the scene of a call for service and to tend to said call for service. Officer Arocho instead left the scene and returned to headquarters.

Police Officer Anthony Rutkowski
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 30
Sustained Charge: Insubordination
Description: Officer Rutkowski was suspended for 30 days for direct insubordination after failing to comply with the lawful order of a supervisor to enter a residence and conduct an investigation related to a deceased individual. Instead, Officer Rutkowski refused to enter and summoned another individual to enter without supervisory approval.

Police Officer Anthony Rutkowski
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 30
Sustained Charge: Incompetency / Neglect of Duty
Description: Officer Rutkowski was suspended for 30 days for failing to report to court as a witness on numerous (occasions) after receiving and acknowledging receipt of a subpoena for each.

Lieutenant Ranaldo Gonzalez
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 10
Sustained Charge: Chronic and Abusive Absenteeism
Description: Lt. Gonzalez was suspended for 10 days for chronic, excessive, and/or abusive sick time usage. Lt. Gonzalez amassed a total of 991 days of sick time used from his date of hire through the completion of this case.

Police Officer Liana Palladino
Terminated: No
Demoted: No
Suspended: Yes
# of Days Suspended: 60
Sustained Charge: Repeated Violations of Rules and Regulations, Failure to Comply With Chief's Orders, Failure to Follow Departmental Procedures, Unexcused Tardiness
Description: In accordance with a settlement agreement, Officer Palladino was suspended for an aggregate 60 days as part of a global settlement related to five cases. Those specific cases involved one case where Officer Palladino was observed on Body Worn Camera mishandling and destroying narcotics evidence, another three cases involving unexcused tardiness, and one case involving failure to care for or maintain department owned property.