By Jacqueline Durett
Correspondent
EDISON — The township will enter into a settlement with a police officer who was ousted for asking a woman to model lingerie while he was in uniform but off duty.
Patrolman Anthony Sarni was suspended following the 2012 incident at the Extended Stay America hotel in which he allegedly asked a woman to model lingerie for him after hours.
Following that incident and what transpired after – Sarni was questioned about the incident but was found to be untruthful to Internal Affairs detectives — Mayor
Thomas Lankey attempted to terminate him last year.
Sarni sued and was reinstated in March; the township appealed. While Sarni did return to work in March, he has been on medical disability since August.
Township Attorney William Northgrave told the Township Council at the Dec. 14 meeting that Sarni was looking to settle, which required approval of two resolutions at that meeting.
The resolutions were unanimously approved.
As per the terms of the settlement,
Sarni would resign from the force and apply for disability pension by Dec. 31, 2017; at 13 years in, he does not have the tenure to be eligible for a service pension. Depending on if and when that disability pension
is approved, the township would pay the balance of his 2017 salary. Sarni is currently earning $120,000 a year.
Northgrave said a settlement would avoid additional legal costs the township could be at risk for if Sarni were to win in court; it would also avoid the risk of Sarni returning to the force should be become medically able to do so.
“A settlement is where…everyone is extremely unhappy,” he said.
Residents, however, were also unhappy. Lois Wolke said she wanted to know the financial implications of the settlement. “What are we going to pay for this?” she asked.
Northgrave said he had estimated that Sarni would walk away with about $350,000, of which the town would pay $320,000.
Lois Wolke said she would rather the township see the lawsuit through and send a message. She urged the council not to vote on it, adding that while she doesn’t want to see the township spend money it doesn’t
need to, she “would rather pay more, take our chances and pay more and stop this nonsense with the disability and everything else. Sometimes you have to spend a little extra money to stop it. Making agreements like this does nothing. The next guy’s going to do the same thing.”
Irene Wall also said she wasn’t happy that the township was paying to resolve the issue.
“What we’re getting in exchange is the end of litigation and his resignation,” Northgrave said. “That’s the bargain, if you will, that’s before the council.”
Fred Wolke said he wanted to know how it was already known that Sarni would still be on medical leave for 2017. “What’s wrong with this man? Is there anything really physically wrong with him?”
Northgrave said he could not discuss that level of detail regarding a personnel matter. He also cautioned that a disability pension is not guaranteed. “Pensions will not give a disability pension lightly,” he said. “The ability to get a pension is far from a done deal. There is a high risk that this officer will not get his pension.” Northgrave said if Sarni does not get approved for a pension, he is still not permitted to return to the force.
Fred Wolke said he still felt the settlement encouraged officers to sue the township. Northgrave disagreed, saying that once the issue is resolved, there would be no outstanding lawsuits involving the department — which he said is a big change from the more than a dozen officers who were suing the department in 2013.
“There has been tremendous change in the Edison police department,” Northgrave said.