January 20, 2016
A police officer in Edison, New Jersey, who lost his job after persuading a woman to model Victoria's Secret lingerie for him while on duty will be permitted to return to the force, a Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday over protests from town officials.
In 2012, 41-year-old Officer Anthony Sarni was called to the Extended Stay America hotel after receiving a complaint that someone had sprayed a fire extinguisher under a guest's door, the New York Daily News reports. Sarni apprehended the female suspect and asked her to model lingerie that she had inside a bag in her hotel room. When he spotted marijuana, he even gave the woman an opportunity to flush it down the toilet if she complied with his request, insinuating that she could avoid trouble if she did as he asked.
Sarni was suspended in 2013 and eventually fired after it was determined that he lied to Internal Affairs about the incident. He later admitted that he went back to the woman's room at 2 a.m. to repeat his request. The woman, who was not identified, told police that Sarni began to text and call her. After an internal investigation was completed, Sarni was fired from his job and appealed the decision.
Superior Court Judge Douglas Wolfson ruled Tuesday that Sarni should be reinstated to the Edison force immediately because he is at risk of losing skills essential to his work as a police officer. Should he remain inactive, Wolfson ruled, he would otherwise need to return to the police academy.
Edison Township labor attorney Allen Roth reacted sharply to the ruling in a statement provided to NJ.com:
"To say that today's ruling outraged the township's administration and the police command staff, who have made it crystal clear they will not tolerate 'reprehensible and deplorable' conduct from municipal employees, would be an understatement."
Roth added that the town will continue to pursue all legal options to appeal the decision. Sarni will have to complete a fitness-for-duty exam and be retrained in policies and procedures before he returns to work, where he is expected to receive an administrative assignment.
In reaching his decision, Wolfson acknowledged that Sarni's conduct was "deplorable and entirely unacceptable," but said that the township took too long to pursue charges against him. Sarni's lawyer said his client was "very glad to be going back to work" and that the township based its case on politics rather than the evidence and the law.
