NJ Jury Indicts Suspended Essex County Detective From Bloomfield

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A suspended detective in the Essex County Prosecutor's Office was indicted after he allegedly installed a global positioning system (GPS) device on a suspect's vehicle without authorization, prosecutors said Monday.

A state grand jury indicted Timothy Kealy, 27, of Bloomfield, on a charge of second-degree official misconduct, according to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

The indictment was obtained by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) as the result of an investigation by the Professional Standards Bureau of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (ECPO).

• See related article: Essex County Detective Accused Of Lying About GPS Device

An indictment is merely an accusation, and Kealy is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, prosecutors pointed out.

According to state prosecutors:

“The ECPO Professional Standards Bureau began investigating Kealy in January 2020 after learning that Kealy, who was assigned to the Essex County Narcotics Task Force, had allegedly purchased and installed a GPS tracking device on a civilian’s car without formal or legal authority. The ECPO has a process by which detectives must obtain permission from supervisors to apply to a judge for a warrant, and only ECPO-issued GPS devices may be used. A court-issued warrant is required by law for law enforcement to install a GPS device on a vehicle.”

Kealy was suspended as a result of the investigation, prosecutors said.

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