Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
Officer Kelly Rouse received a 20-day suspension from the Essex County Department of Corrections in 2023. According to the record, on October 20, 2022, Rouse left his fully loaded department-issued weapon, with hollow point ammunition, in the bathroom of University Hospital in Newark. Rouse also failed to notify the department while abandoning his post to retrieve the weapon. Sustained charges included neglect of duty and a firearms handling violation.
(a)(12) : Violation of Department Policies and Procedures – P.S.CUS.002 Firearms Violation of Department Rules and Regulations – 3:4.12 Handling of firearm / Loss of firearm
Separated while IA pending
not reported
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On Wednesday October 20, 2022 Investigator Charles reported that Officer K. Rouse left his fully loaded departmental issued weapon with hollow point ammunition, in the bathroom of University Hospital located at 150 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ. Additionally, Officer Rouse failed to notify his department while abandoning his post to respond to Rutgers headquarters to retrieve his weapon.
Compensation and pension
No confident pension match found. 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. Where that bar is not met, nothing is shown rather than a guess. 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.
Sustained charge(s): N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(7) Neglect of duty; N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(12) Other sufficient cause: Violation of Department Policies and Procedures –…
same agency · same year · similar charge category · similar sanction outcome
Sustained charge(s): N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(1) Incompetence, inefficiency, or failure to perform duties N.J.A.C. 4A:2-2.3(a)(6) Conduct unbecoming a public…
same agency · same year · similar charge category · similar sanction outcome
Questions and answers
What is a summary of Kelly Rouse's major discipline record?
Officer Kelly Rouse received a 20-day suspension from the Essex County Department of Corrections in 2023. According to the record, on October 20, 2022, Rouse left his fully loaded department-issued weapon, with hollow point ammunition, in the bathroom of University Hospital in Newark. Rouse also failed to notify the department while abandoning his post to retrieve the weapon. Sustained charges included neglect of duty and a firearms handling violation.
What is Kelly Rouse's major discipline record at Essex County Corrections?
Kelly Rouse has one major discipline record at Essex County Corrections in the New Jersey Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, from 2023. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
Does Kelly Rouse's record show a termination?
The major discipline records shown here do not report a termination for Kelly Rouse at Essex County Corrections.
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 Kelly Rouse individually.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 1643. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩