A Jackson Township police sergeant was terminated after an investigation found he submitted multiple inaccurate reports seeking overtime compensation through a grant-funded program.
A former Jackson Township police sergeant was fired after authorities determined he submitted false reports to obtain overtime pay while working as a Drug Recognition Expert, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s major discipline records.
Key Points
• Sgt. Michael Kelly was terminated from the Jackson Township Police Department
• Sustained charges included insubordination, conduct unbecoming, neglect of duty, and falsifying a report
• Records state he submitted multiple inaccurate reports seeking grant-funded overtime compensation
The disciplinary action appears in the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s annual major discipline reporting database, which requires law enforcement agencies to publicly disclose terminations, demotions, and suspensions exceeding five days.
According to the report, Sgt. Michael Kelly was terminated by the Jackson Township Police Department following an internal investigation into his conduct between February and October 2022.
Multiple charges sustained
State records show investigators sustained charges of insubordination, conduct unbecoming, neglect of duty, and falsifying a report.
The disciplinary summary states that Kelly “submitted multiple inaccurate/false reports seeking overtime compensation by way of grant funding for work as a Drug Recognition Expert.”
Included in state transparency report
The case was included in the Attorney General’s major discipline report under Directive 2021-6, which requires all New Jersey law enforcement agencies to report major disciplinary actions imposed on officers.
The report indicates Kelly was terminated from employment and did not resign, retire, transfer, or otherwise separate from the department while the disciplinary case was pending.
The Attorney General’s Office began publishing major discipline data as part of a statewide transparency initiative covering serious disciplinary actions involving law enforcement officers.