Crime & Safety

Military Service Puts Two Police Officers' Jobs in Jeopardy, Attorney Says

Lawyer says township is accusing officers of falsely claiming time off for military service.

Two Bloomfield police officers say their jobs are on the line because of their military service.

Patrol officers Michael McCracken and Hector Cartagena are accused of taking time off from their police jobs and falsely claiming it as time spent serving in the military. 

Attorney Catherine Elston said during the periods of time in question, the officers were either traveling to their bases or being treated for injuries.

Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Both McCracken and Cartagena are reservists who served in the Iraq War. McCracken is former Marine and current member of the Air Force Reserves. Cartagena served in the Army before joining the Air Force Reserves. McCracken is a 16-year veteran of the Bloomfield police department and Cartagena has been on the force for eight years, Elston said.

Elston said the officers have been suspended without pay since Dec. 4 in advance of hearings that have not yet been scheduled.

Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

McCracken said that the Essex County Prosecutor's office had investigated their military leave claims earlier this year and did not find credible evidence that they had falsified their claims of military time. 

The time period in question occurred in 2008 and 2009 and involves both their overseas deployment and weekend training, Elston said. She said at that time, Bloomfield did not have a policy concerning military absences. Elston said a policy was later put in place and is now being retroactively applied.

Bloomfield Police Chief Christopher Goul and Mayor Raymond McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.