Marcus Rountree

Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)

Officer Marcus Rountree was terminated on May 22, 2024, for unsatisfactory performance during his probationary period. The Franklin Township Police Department - Somerset County reported that on December 23, 2023, Rountree mishandled a domestic violence incident by omitting details from the report and influencing the victim to alter their statement, which prevented the aggressor's arrest. On January 14, 2024, he failed to make a mandatory arrest and submitted falsified documentation. He was found to have been untruthful with an Assistant Prosecutor, a Judge, and internal affairs personnel.

Synopsis as reported by the agency

On May 22, 2024, Officer Marcus Rountree was terminated for unsatisfactory performance during his probationary period. Performance evaluations revealed that he did not achieve at least average marks in several key areas, including: accepting responsibility, adapting to change, interpersonal relationships and demeanor, demonstrating honesty, ethics, and integrity, performing at a grade level above or in a leadership role, applying policies, directives, rules, and regulations, and possessing knowledge of the NJ Criminal Code, Title 39, and Township Ordinances. Despite ongoing supervision and feedback, Officer Rountree failed to demonstrate improvement in these areas. Notably, on December 23, 2023, Officer Rountree mishandled a domestic violence incident by failing to include critical details in the written report and influencing the victim to alter their initial statement in a way that prevented the aggressor's arrest. Additionally, he did not comply with departmental policy regarding the operation of his body-worn camera. On January 14, 2024, Officer Rountree failed to appropriately manage a domestic violence call. He neglected to make a mandatory arrest of the alleged assailant and did not request medical attention for the victim, who reported being in pain. Additionally, he submitted falsified documentation by deliberately excluding pertinent information. During the subsequent internal affairs investigation, Officer Rountree was found to have been untruthful in conversations with an Assistant Prosecutor, a Judge, a patrol supervisor, and internal affairs personnel. He also failed to activate his mobile video recorder and misused his body-worn camera during the incident. Furthermore, on February 14, 2024, Officer Rountree was found to have been untruthful with a superior officer when describing his handling of a domestic violence incident.