Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
Correctional Police Lieutenant Gerardo Gonzalez was both suspended for 905 days and terminated by the Essex County Department of Corrections, with termination finalized in 2025. Gonzalez was arrested on duty on November 23, 2021 and charged by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. He was convicted of knowingly possessing fewer than 1,000 items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child and was sentenced to three years of probation, along with forfeiture and permanent disqualification from public employment.
(a)(1) Incompetent, inefficient or failure to perform duties
(a)(6)
(a)(7)
(a)(12)
Criminal charge 2C:24-4(b)(5)(a)(i) = 2nd degree : Knowingly distributed an item depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child 2C:24-4(b)(5)(b)(iii) = 3rd degree : Knowingly possessed, viewed or had under his control through any means , including the internet, items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child (a)(12)
Violation of Department Policies and Procedures – Immediate suspension pending criminal charges.
Separated while IA pending
No
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On Tuesday November 23, 2021, Correctional Police Lieutenant Gerardo Gonzalez was arrested On Duty at the Essex County Correctional Facility was arrested on duty and charged by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office(ECPO). He was later convicted of knowingly possessing fewer than 1,000 such items and was sentenced to three years of probation, along with forfeiture of and permanent disqualification from public employment. under New Jersey statutes related to possession and distribution of child exploitation material.ECPO detectives seized his cell phone and obtained a Mirandized statement in which he admitted to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material through various apps over the course of about a year. A preliminary examination of his phone uncovered multiple illegal videos involving minors. Termination was finalized in 2025.
Compensation and pension
No confident pension match found. This officer's record shows a termination; a terminated officer would not have an active PFRS/SPRS record at this agency, which is one reason no match may exist here. This site links a pension record to a named officer only when the name and the exact employing agency both match a New Jersey Treasury record. Other general possibilities include insufficient vesting, a role not covered by PFRS or SPRS, a deferred or vested status not reflected in a current snapshot, or a data-matching limitation. See methodology for how these matches are made and what is withheld.
Similar records
AnalysisComputed by this site from shared agency, year, charge category, and sanction outcome. Not a legal or factual equivalence.
same agency · same year · similar sanction outcome
Questions and answers
What is a summary of Gerardo Gonzalez's major discipline record?
Correctional Police Lieutenant Gerardo Gonzalez was both suspended for 905 days and terminated by the Essex County Department of Corrections, with termination finalized in 2025. Gonzalez was arrested on duty on November 23, 2021 and charged by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. He was convicted of knowingly possessing fewer than 1,000 items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of a child and was sentenced to three years of probation, along with forfeiture and permanent disqualification from public employment.
What is Gerardo Gonzalez's major discipline record at Essex County Corrections?
Gerardo Gonzalez has one major discipline record at Essex County Corrections in the New Jersey Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, from 2025. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
Does Gerardo Gonzalez's record show a termination?
Yes. At least one of Gerardo Gonzalez's major discipline records shows a termination, reported for 2025.
How does Essex County Corrections score on this site's report card?
This site's report card places Essex County Corrections in the lowest fifth of peers of its peer group on reported internal affairs volume and discipline severity. The grade is analysis by this site, not an official rating, and it describes the department, not Gerardo Gonzalez individually.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 295. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩