-- Four Edison police officers pleaded guilty Friday for their roles in a

a North Brunswick police officer who cited one of the officer's relatives on a drunk driving charge, prosecutors announced.

Officer Michael A. Dotro, 39, of Manalapan, Officer Brian Favretto, 41, of Brick, Officer Victor E. Aravena, 45, and Sgt. William H. Gesell, 48, both of Edison, reached plea agreements as jury selection was underway to try the four, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Each officer faces probation, must give up their government jobs and be barred from future public employment after sentencing scheduled for Jan. 13 in New Brunswick, prosecutors said.

All four officers resigned from the force, according to a township spokesman.

"This is a sad day for the Edison Police Department because of the tarnish it brings to the reputations of our many other upstanding and hard-working police officers," Edison Business Administrator Maureen Ruane said in a statement. "We are glad to see these men chose to resign their positions, bringing an end to their tenure here."

"We must also commend the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office for its diligent investigation and prosecution of this matter," Ruane added.

Dotro pleaded guilty to conspiracy and admitted he planned to retaliate against the North Brunswick officer, who ticketed one of his relatives. The officer also faces separate charges, including attempted murder, for allegedly setting an Edison police captain's home on fire while the captain and his wife were asleep inside.

The officer allegedly torched his supervisor's home after the captain reportedly ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation following his 11th excessive force complaint. Dotro pleaded not guilty in that case.

In another case against the officer, prosecutors allege Dotro slashed the tires on an Edison woman's car and had brass knuckles, an imitation weapon, a black jack, a small amount of marijuana and a device used to smoke the drug in his police duty bag on May 23, 2013.

Favretto pleaded guilty to obstruction of the administration of law for trying to intervene in the DUI case. Gesell admitted he accessed computer records on the North Brunswick officer and pleaded guilty to tampering with public records.

For his part, Aravena admitted he gave the computer records to Dotro to help in the retaliation scheme. Aravena pleaded guilty to obstruction of the administration of law.

The prosecutor's office, however, said its investigation found the four never actually carried out the retaliation scheme against the North Brunswick officer.

The charges against the four Edison officers was among a series of embarrassments for the department, which has included lawsuits and criminal probes.