New Jersey Cops Learn Using The ‘N-Word’ Can Get Them Officially Fired

A whistleblower recorded the two men discussing prior cases.

A judge has ruled that two New Jersey cops caught on tape using the n-word in racist rants can officially be fired after collecting six-figure salaries while on suspension, the New York Post reports.

Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh ruled Clark County Police Chief Pedro Matos and Sergeant Joseph Teston can finally be disciplined following a 2019 investigation.

Whistleblower Lt. Antonio Manata recorded the two men discussing prior cases. In reference to a 2017 case involving a bias incident where a black puppet was found hanging at a local high school, Matos was heard saying, “Because I want to prove that them f****** n******.” On a different tape, Teston was overheard saying that a Black suspect had a “big f****** monkey head.”

The scandal blew up, according to NJ.com, after it was revealed that Clark Township issued a $400,000 settlement to Manata in 2020 after he threatened to release the recordings of the officers and former longtime mayor, Sal Bonaccorso, who was also recorded using racial slurs and referring to women in law enforcement as “f****** disasters.”

Attorney General Matthew Platkin called for Matos and Teston to be fired in November 2023 after the criminal investigation was delayed. He also pushed for a third officer involved, Capt. Vincent Concina, to be demoted after he was accused of retaliating against Manata.

Bonaccorso is currently serving three years of probation following a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit official misconduct and forgery. However, Jersey taxpayers were unknowingly paying the racist cops over $2.6 million in salary alone since their suspension. Matos was paid $979,298, while Concina received $178,979, and Teston received $147,556.

Each officer’s payment increased by more than 14% after their 2020 suspension.

In lawsuits later dismissed, the three police officers argued the recordings violated their procedural safeguards. Their attorneys claimed the lengthy delays in investigations were “ungodly” and felt their clients should not face consequences as a result. According to New Jersey state law, internal affairs charges must be filed within 45 days of gathering “sufficient information” to support the charges, starting as soon as a criminal investigation wraps up.

The officers claim the investigation against them concluded by April 2022, roughly a year and a half before Platkin’s office submitted a report.