Two Lawrence Township police officers faced major disciplinary action, resulting in the resignation of one officer and the firing of the other officer in 2023, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Officers Joseph Closson and Timothy Wallace were among 557 New Jersey police officers who were subjected to major disciplinary action between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, the annual major discipline report released by the Office of the Attorney General.
The report, which was released July 31, is part of the Office of the Attorney General’s effort to increase transparency and public access to information about police discipline and use of force.
Closson resigned from the Lawrence Township Police Department after he was found to have been driving with a suspended driver’s license, according to the annual report.
Closson’s driver’s license was suspended because he had failed to keep liability insurance on his personal vehicle. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission suspended his registration and driving privileges.
He did not notify the Lawrence Township Police Department that his driver’s license was suspended and continued to drive. He searched for his own records through the automated traffic system to check on the status of his registration and driving privileges, the report said.
While he was off-duty, Closson was stopped and issued a warning for driving while his driver’s license was suspended. He resigned before he was served with an Internal Affairs complaint within the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The complaint was upheld after he resigned from the Lawrence Township Police Department.
Wallace was suspended for 84 days then terminated for filing a false report. He entered a false location in the CAD (computer aided dispatch) entry, the annual report said.
Wallace was charged administratively for the infraction, and then terminated after a local hearing. He appealed the charges. The matter was settled by a retroactive reinstatement and a transfer of the officer to another department.
“(The) report reflects our commitment to increasing accountability in policing. Increased transparency helps increase confidence in law enforcement, leading to greater public safety,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
New Jersey police officers – the vast majority of whom serve with professionalism and honor – benefit from increased public trust, enabling them to more safety and effectively serve the state’s residents, Platkin said.
