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A Belleville cop caught sleeping in uniform was suspended by Police Chief Joseph Rotonda earlier this month.

(Courtesy of Anthony Tellinski)

BELLEVILLE — An off-duty Belleville police officer has been suspended after he was caught napping in his cruiser by a township resident earlier this month, police said.

The officer was found snoozing in full uniform around 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 9 by Anthony Telinski, who was riding his bike in the area of Franklin Street and Watessing Avenue.

"I do pay taxes, and to see my tax dollars at work like that was outrageous,” said Telinski.

Telinski posted the picture to several Facebook groups and YouTube, where it eventually caught the eye of a township police officer, according to Belleville Police Chief Joseph Rotonda.

Rotonda said the officer was working an off-duty job at the time of the incident, but has still been suspended for falling asleep in uniform. The officer has been on the job for less than a year, and Rotonda declined to identify him or say how long he had been suspended for.

“He was working an off-duty job but that doesn’t excuse him from the Belleville Police Department’s rules and regulations," Rotonda said. "It’s something we won’t tolerate and we took immediate and appropriate action.”

Telinski claimed he was harassed by several township police officers days after he snapped the picture. The 27-year-old said he was stopped by officers who claimed he was "impeding traffic" while riding his bike and repeatedly referred to as "the photographer."

Telinski said he was searched and arrested on a "bogus warrant," but Rotonda said Telinski was arrested for possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

Telinski admitted he has struggled on and off with addiction after he was prescribed painkillers following a serious accident that caused him to suffer 24 broken bones. He is once again in treatment, and said he is "not ashamed" of the police department's accusation.

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