Former Berkeley Heights Police Chief Jason Massimino was investigated by the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which produced multiple sustained findings. The investigation found that Massimino spread false stories to defame the qualifications of others, encouraged an employee to assault another employee, obtained a Master's Degree through coercion, deception, and plagiarism by having department personnel complete assignments for him, and used police personnel for personal business on duty at department expense. Massimino resigned on May 10, 2024, before any disciplinary action was taken.
three counts of 3:7.16 Prohibited Activity on Duty
and four counts of 3:13.5 Truthfulness.
Separated while IA pending
Yes
Synopsis as reported by the agency
Former Berkeley Heights Police Chief Jason Massimino was investigated by the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which resulted in multiple sustained findings related to his demeanor and various rule violations. The investigation revealed that he spread false stories to defame the qualifications of others, adversely affecting both the Berkeley Heights Police Department (BHPD) and personnel from the Union County Prosecutor's Office (UCPO), with the intent to damage their reputations, specifically regarding their roles as instructors at the police academy. Additionally, he encouraged and promoted acts of violence, including encouraging an employee to assault another employee. Additionally, he obtained a Master's Degree through coercion, deception, and plagiarism, having BHPD personnel complete papers and assignments on his behalf. Furthermore, he improperly used police personnel to conduct personal business by assigning them to work during their duty hours and altering their schedules to assist him with his ventures, compensating them with BHPD funds for their assistance. The specific rules and regulations violated included three counts of 3:1.1 Standards of Conduct, three counts of 3:2.2 Unlawful Orders, three counts of 3:7.16 Prohibited Activity on Duty, and four counts of 3:13.5 Truthfulness. Former Chief Massimino resigned on May 10, 2024, before any disciplinary action was taken.
Similar records
AnalysisComputed by this site from shared agency, year, charge category, and sanction outcome. Not a legal or factual equivalence.
Sustained charge(s): 1) Incompetency , inefficiency, or failure to perform duties, 2) Insubordination, 7) Neglect of duty 12). Other Sufficient Cause -…
same year · similar sanction outcome
Compensation and pension
No confident pension match found. This officer's record shows they resigned, retired, transferred, or otherwise separated from this agency while an internal affairs matter was pending, which can affect whether a current PFRS/SPRS record exists 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. See methodology for how these matches are made and what is withheld.
Questions and answers
What is a summary of Jason Massimino's major discipline record?
Former Berkeley Heights Police Chief Jason Massimino was investigated by the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which produced multiple sustained findings. The investigation found that Massimino spread false stories to defame the qualifications of others, encouraged an employee to assault another employee, obtained a Master's Degree through coercion, deception, and plagiarism by having department personnel complete assignments for him, and used police personnel for personal business on duty at department expense. Massimino resigned on May 10, 2024, before any disciplinary action was taken.
What is Jason Massimino's major discipline record at Berkeley Heights Police Department?
Jason Massimino has one major discipline record at Berkeley Heights Police Department in the New Jersey Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, from 2024. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
How large is Berkeley Heights Police Department, the department Jason Massimino worked for?
Berkeley Heights Police Department reported 26 sworn officers to the FBI for 2025. This is department-level context from the FBI's Law Enforcement Employees census, not a statement about Jason Massimino individually.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1432. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[2]FBI Law Enforcement Employees (LEE), New Jersey subset. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Row 8601. Derived from the public Law Enforcement Employees (LEE) / Police Employee Data dataset (1960-2025), https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/. ↩