A superior court appellate Tuesday upheld's the city's police department decision to fire an officer who falsified patrol logs and took more than 100 unexcused sick days in a year.
According to the ruling, officer Tamieka Dwyer admitted going to a bar in Orange while on patrol, however claims she was at the establishment for a total of 12 minutes in which she claims used the restroom and heated her lunch.
The court however, agreed with the department that Dwyer should have used a restroom in East Orange rather than crossing municipal lines and going into a bar, which violates department rules.
Dwyer was also accused of falsifying her call logs after the police chief reportedly saw Dwyer sitting in her car instead of responding to a theft at a different location. In this instance, Dwyer claimed the GPS in her car was malfunctioning, and didn't properly record her location accurately.
Finally, Dwyer was found driving a police car while her license was suspended. She argued she was not initially aware of the suspension but once she was informed she assumed her license would be restored following an online payment she reportedly made.
Judges Tuesday closed by stating that after a review, there is sufficient credible evidence to justify the termination.