William Pepe described enduring issues for approximately a year before being summoned by the chief of police, Derek Clark, for a meeting in which he was reprimanded for not issuing enough traffic tickets. As the sole Black officer in the Pompton Lakes Police Department at the time, Pepe believed this meeting was part of a broader pattern of unfair treatment he faced from Chief Clark. These allegations are among several detailed in a legal notice announcing Pepe's intention to sue the borough, its council, and police department. Pepe claimed that after he raised concerns about his supervisors' behavior to his union, his career advancement was halted, and he was subjected to a hostile work environment that negatively impacted his mental health. This ultimately led to what he termed his "constructive termination," where an employer's actions force an employee to resign.
According to Pepe's attorney, the discrimination and harassment were so severe that Pepe felt compelled to quit. Pepe, a former Army member who joined the police department in 2015, was promoted to the detective bureau four years later and was also involved in the narcotics task force and served as a firearms instructor. However, he alleged that in 2021, he was reassigned to patrol duty in retaliation for expressing his intention to file a grievance with the union regarding being forced to use sick days when neither he nor his son had COVID-19.
The borough council president, Erik DeLine, refuted Pepe's claims, stating they were entirely false and that the borough would vigorously defend itself. Pepe's notice also alleged that Clark disclosed a confidential conversation Pepe had with the department's resiliency program officer about his mental health after the demotion. Pepe further claimed that Clark and Lt. Anthony Rodriguez pressured him regarding ticket quotas, with Clark allegedly threatening to put him on a performance improvement plan.
Additionally, Pepe stated he received a written reprimand for giving a department badge to a child who aspired to be a police officer, an act he believed was partly racially motivated. Pepe resigned, citing the pressure and mistreatment he faced. He later failed a fitness for duty test and underwent inpatient treatment for PTSD. Pepe disputed five internal investigations against him, which he believes were retaliatory. When he requested light duty upon his return to work, he was offered a night dispatch position, which he viewed as further retaliation compared to how white officers were accommodated with less taxing assignments.
Pepe's resignation came in January, feeling overwhelmed and powerless against the circumstances.