COP CHARGED WITH IGNORING POT OFFENSE

A 21-year veteran of the Englewood Police Department was arrested
Friday and charged with failing to arrest two women that he saw
smoking marijuana, Bergen County prosecutors said.

Sgt. Joseph Martin came across two females - one a juvenile and the
other an adult - at a private building in August 2005, said Assistant
Bergen County Prosecutor Jeffrey Ziegelheim. Martin did not arrest
the women although he saw them smoking marijuana, Ziegelheim said.

Investigations began after the women were later arrested by officers
in a different town and told police that Martin had seen them smoking
pot, the assistant prosecutor said.

The women couldn't remember the exact date of the incident, he said.

Martin was charged with official misconduct and released on his own
recognizance. He has also resigned from his position with the
Englewood police, Ziegelheim said.