A day after authorities announced the arrest of a veteran police sergeant on charges he leaked info to criminals and had sex with a wanted woman in his patrol car, officials in Monroe Township are asking the public not to judge the whole department based on the behavior of Sgt. Jody Collins.

"Sgt. Collins' actions are inexcusable and should be dealt with accordingly, to the letter of the law," Township Councilman Cody Miller said Tuesday. "However, this doesn't represent the character or integrity of out department."

Police Chief John McKeown said something similar in a statement Tuesday, adding that his officers sacrifice a lot to serve the public and maintain "high ethical standards."

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office has charged Collins, 41, with crimes that allege he did not maintain those standards.

Among the accusations are that Collins checked to see if three people he knew had warrants -- to help them escape arrest -- and engaging in sexual activity with one of those people in his cruiser while on duty, when he should have arrested her.

Collins, who has been on unpaid leave since he was charged last week, could not be reach for comment, and it was unclear if he has an attorney.

Jim Dehart of the Monroe Township Police Officers Association declined to comment, and a call to the representative of township FOP Lodge 125 was not returned.

Monroe Township Business Administrator Kevin Heydel said the allegations are "disappointing" but do not indicate a pattern or reflect on the the rest of the department.

"We have an excellent police force," Heydel said. "They are very professional."

But it's not the first time a township officer has been accused of having sex with someone on the job.

Robert Marzi, prison photo

On two separate occasions in 2016, then-officer Robert E. Marzi offered to help women with their charges or traffic violations in exchange for sexual favors he received while on duty. Marzi, 31, is serving a three-year prison term after pleading guilty to two counts of official misconduct in October.

Miller, the councilman, said he does not see a bigger problem, with the arrests of two officers in three years. The department is overwhelmingly made up of good cops and he is confident that McKeown and his officers will address any issues.

"It should give us time to reflect back on our practices and be sure this type of thing never happens again with our officers," he said.

McKeown said his department was involved in the five-month investigation but declined to say whether it was initiated by the department's internal affairs division or the prosecutor's office.

The offenses allegedly occurred both before and after Collins was promoted to sergeant in September.

According to the charging documents, between December of 2016 and April of 2018, Collins got information from dispatchers so his three friends could know if they had any warrants for their arrest.

On Feb. 11, when he knew one of those people had warrants for her arrest, he instead engaged in sexual activity with her in his cruiser while on duty, the prosecutor's office charged.

The office said he also told her about police activity "at or near her residence, so she may avoid apprehension and/or conceal any illegal activity," and provided money to pay off her drug debt to a known dealer Feb. 15.

The office also accused Collins of asking a dispatcher to run a license plate for a vehicle in 2015 so he could help a friend who owned a repossession business.

If he is convicted of official misconduct, Collins could lose part or all of any taxpayer-funded pension benefits.

State law says that members of the public pension systems who are convicted of certain charges relating to corruption or misuse of power must forfeit the pension benefits earned during the time they were committing the offense or offenses.

The Monroe Township Police Department announces the promotion of Officer Jody Collins. Last night, Tuesday the 11th,... Posted by Monroe Township Police Department (Gloucester County, NJ) on Tuesday, September 12, 2017

State Department of Treasury spokeswoman Jennifer Sciortino said that the courts or the pension system's board of trustees could also order that an employee to forfeit the entirety of their pension benefits in this situation.

Sciortino noted an employee could withdraw the money he or she paid into the pension, even if the benefit is forfeited. But state regulations prohibit withdrawing pension contributions while on leave.

Collins was placed on paid leave when authorities began investigating him in April, according to the prosecutor's office, but it changed to unpaid leave once he was charged Thursday.

Heydel said he doesn't think Collins is allowed to use any sick or vacation time to support himself while on the unpaid leave.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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