NJ cop who was arrested wants taxpayers to pay for his violence counseling

HANOVER — A former township cop wanted taxpayers to foot the bill for counseling that he was forced to undergo after being arrested on a domestic violence charge.

Glenn Yanovak, a former officer and president of the township’s police union, was arrested June 19, 2014, after a female relative accused him of shoving and choking her during a domestic dispute.

The assault charge against him was later dropped, but the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation before he could get back his personal and service weapons, which officers are required to surrender after they are arrested on domestic violence accusations.

Yanovak was left with a $543 out-of-pocket expense for the counseling, for which he unsuccessfully tried to get the township to reimburse him.

But the counseling expenses might be the least of his worries now.

In March, Yanovak was fired from the force with just months before he could retire and collect a pension on a $115,000 salary, the Daily Record reported.

Department officials say Yanovak lied about the domestic violence incident, telling responding officers that his accuser was drunk, even though cops said she appeared sober. Police also said Yanovak initially told them that he slapped a phone out of the accuser’s hand, but he later changed the story, according to the Daily Record.

Yanovak is appealing his termination before a Superior Court judge.

PBA Local 128’s appeal of the reimbursement denial, meanwhile, was rejected in September by the Public Employment Relations Comission.

The union claimed that the township denied the reimbursement request “in response to a pending grievance” by Yanovak. The union claimed that the township unilaterally changed its domestic violence abuse training program policy to indicate that employees were responsible for employer-mandated counseling costs, even though the township in the past had reimbursed officers.

The township argued that it was not responsible for the costs because the counseling, which lasted six months and cost $1,650, had been mandated by the county prosecutor.

An arbitrator sided with the township and pointed out that the union was unable to prove the township had reimbursed such costs in the past.

Like many domestic violence cases in the state, the 2014 complaint against Yanovak was dropped after his accuser declined to press charges or seek a permanent restraining order.

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