Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
While working the communications desk, Patrol Officer Bratsch received a report of a shoplifting, assigned himself the call, then drove in the opposite direction and had a sit-down breakfast, delaying his response by approximately one hour, according to the Springfield Township Police Department in Union County. The record states that during the same shift he did not generate a CAD entry, dispatch a unit, or respond to a reported suspicious vehicle. His 2025 discipline included a 24-day unpaid suspension and an additional 8-day loss of time, totaling 344 hours.
General Responsibilities Rules and Regulations Violation
Prohibited Activity on Duty Rules and Regulations Violation
Other sanction
Loss of time
Separated while IA pending
No
Synopsis as reported by the agency
While working the communications desk, Ofc. Stephen Bratsch received a report of a shoplifting that had just occurred. After checking with another unit, he assigned himself the call. Instead of responding directly to investigate the shoplifting, Ofc. Bratsch drove in the opposite direction and subsequently had a sit-down breakfast at a local restaurant, delaying his response by approximately one hour. The investigation also determined that during the same shift, Ofc. Bratsch received a report of a suspicious vehicle. Ofc. Bratsch never generated a CAD entry, never dispatched a patrol unit to investigate it, and never responded to investigate it himself. Ofc. Bratsch's discipline included an unpaid suspension of 24 working days and an additional 8 day loss of time, totaling 344 hours.
The amount is as reported by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury in its YourMoney pension data, as of March 31, 2026. It is the pension-basis figure and may not include overtime, accrued leave, stipends, or other pay. The link between this officer and this pension record is a records-based match at high confidence (exact name and exact employing agency), not a certified identity. If it is wrong, we will remove it: corrections.
Similar records
AnalysisComputed by this site from shared agency, year, charge category, and sanction outcome. Not a legal or factual equivalence.
Sustained charge(s): NJAC 4A2-2.3(a)1 - Incompetency, inefficiency, or failure to perform duties NJAC 4A:2-2.3(a)7 - Neglect of Duty
same year · similar charge category · similar sanction outcome
Questions and answers
What is a summary of Stephen Bratsch's major discipline record?
While working the communications desk, Patrol Officer Bratsch received a report of a shoplifting, assigned himself the call, then drove in the opposite direction and had a sit-down breakfast, delaying his response by approximately one hour, according to the Springfield Township Police Department in Union County. The record states that during the same shift he did not generate a CAD entry, dispatch a unit, or respond to a reported suspicious vehicle. His 2025 discipline included a 24-day unpaid suspension and an additional 8-day loss of time, totaling 344 hours.
What is Stephen Bratsch's major discipline record at Springfield Township Police Department?
Stephen Bratsch has one major discipline record at Springfield Township Police Department in the New Jersey Attorney General's 2020-2025 releases, from 2025. These are final, adjudicated actions, not allegations.
Does Stephen Bratsch's record show a termination?
The major discipline records shown here do not report a termination for Stephen Bratsch at Springfield Township Police Department.
What is Stephen Bratsch's base salary on record?
Stephen Bratsch's reported base salary is $82,733, from New Jersey Treasury YourMoney data, matched to this officer at high confidence. Stephen Bratsch has 4 years, 5 months of reported service.
How large is Springfield Township Police Department, the department Stephen Bratsch worked for?
Springfield Township Police Department reported 46 sworn officers to the FBI for 2025. This is department-level context from the FBI's Law Enforcement Employees census, not a statement about Stephen Bratsch individually.
How does Springfield Township Police Department score on this site's report card?
This site's report card places Springfield Township Police Department in the middle 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 Stephen Bratsch individually.
Sources
[1]New Jersey Major Discipline Data, 2020-2025. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Sheet "Major Discipline Data", row 810. Snapshot retrieved 2026-07-03. ↩
[2]YourMoney Active Pension Members (PFRS/SPRS subset). New Jersey Department of the Treasury. Row 223291, snapshot as of March 31, 2026. Derived from the public YourMoney Active Pension Members dataset, https://www.yourmoney.nj.gov/. ↩
[3]FBI Law Enforcement Employees (LEE), New Jersey subset. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Row 8617. Derived from the public Law Enforcement Employees (LEE) / Police Employee Data dataset (1960-2025), https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/. ↩