UNION CITY AND BEYOND — Last week, Union City Police Chief Charles Everett retired just before a report was released alleging that he manipulated the way off-duty security jobs were given out so that he and other police superiors could get the top assignments.
Several months ago, News 12 New Jersey aired a segment stating that Everett had earned big payouts by watching the school district’s athletic fields. The TV station alleged that Everett was paid for some shifts when he was not working.
After that report aired, the city of Union City hired an investigator to follow up.
Just as that investigator’s report was set to be released last week, Everett announced that he was retiring. Later that day, the report came out alleging that Everett manipulated the off-duty assignments so police superiors could get the top choices.
Over the weekend, News 12 revealed additional information.
They said Everett may be entitled to a $150,000 payout for hundreds of sick days he did not use. The news report also asked the question of whether Everett may be required to reimburse taxpayers if it turns out he was paid for shifts he did not work.
The station obtained lists of officers who were paid for shifts including the athletic fields. In some cases, officers – including Everett – appeared to be paid twice for the same work on the same date.
The documents also said that Everett was paid to work shifts watching the athletic fields during a massive January blizzard.
Mayor Brian Stack was interviewed for the report and agreed that it seemed strange that the top cop would have been watching the athletic fields during the storm.
Read this weekend’s Union City Reporter newspaper or scroll down this page (hudsonreporter.com) starting Sunday to read more about Everett’s case.
Union City police chief may be entitled to $150K payout; News 12 reveals more problems in dept.
