The police chief defecated on tables and slipped Viagra into his subordinates' coffee (4 photos)

Five North Bergen, N.J., police officers have accused their chief of inappropriate behavior and harassment.





The charges are against Robert Farley, a veteran of the North Bergen Police Department, a township between New York City and Newark. His father and grandfather were deputy chiefs of the department, and he took over last February after 25 years of service. That's when his "toxic and abusive behavior" began, according to the complainants.

In particular, Farley defecated on the floor, put amphetamines and Viagra in the communal coffee pot, sent sex toys, intimate lotions and gay pride flags to employees' homes, and stuck a hypodermic needle into the genitals of one of his subordinates. He would also shave his hair over other people or their food, or shake liquids from his underwear onto those who came into his office. The harassment also resulted in denial of promotions and constant assignment to night shifts.



The victims filed a lawsuit against Farley, the department and the city.

"Farley created a workplace environment characterized by inappropriate behavior and so-called 'pranks' that were demeaning and demoralizing," one officer said in a statement. "Not only did these actions fail to meet standards of professional conduct, but they appeared to be designed to humiliate me and other victims."

There were also more benign "pranks" - Farley painted doorknobs with ink, placed firecrackers under officers' chairs, once ripped a television monitor off the wall and smashed it, and pulled the doorbell when he thought there were too many people in the room.

"Chief Farley chased me around the office. "After cornering me in the filing area with no way to retreat, he jabbed a hypodermic needle through my jeans and into the tip of my penis," one of the victims said. He said the injection drew blood, but was even more humiliated when he had to explain to his wife how the injury occurred.





Another employee claims Farley repeatedly exposed himself to others, pulled down his pants several times, and defecated on the floor in front of his subordinates.

"He also left feces on the bathroom floor, apparently with the intention of someone unknowingly stepping on it," the statement said.

Farley also microwaved hot sauce, which essentially turned the substance into pepper spray and caused the fumes to spread throughout the office, forcing the fire department to be called.

An attorney for the victims, Patrick Toscano, has asked the New Jersey Attorney General's Office to "immediately take control of the day-to-day operations of the North Bergen Police Department."

"I've represented thousands of police officers over the years, and I've never seen anything like this," he said.

The city called the allegations "false and outrageous" and said "the City of North Bergen has complete confidence in the leadership of Chief Robert Farley." They added that they forwarded the officers' complaints to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office and are awaiting further action.