HADDON TWP. -- For a second time, officers who work or worked with Police Chief Mark Cavallo are accusing him of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching.

The allegations are contained in a tort claim notice -- a document signaling the intent to sue -- in which four ranking officers also allege that Cavallo is not doing his job and it was falling "by default" to them. They said that then-Commissioner John Foley had ignored their complaints about his alleged idleness.

Capt. Scott Bishop, Lt. Sean Gooley, Sgt. Thomas Whalen and Det. Sgt. Joseph D. Johnston allege that the harassment began nine years ago, not long after Cavallo became chief, according to the document.

Eric Riso, township solicitor, said the claims are now being investigated by a third party. Cavallo remains on active duty.

Messages left for Cavallo and Mayor Randy Teague were not returned. The officers' attorney, John Eastlack Jr., and Cavallo's attorney, Patrick J. Madden, declined to comment on the allegations.

Riso said the other commissioners were unaware of any complaints against the chief until the officers filed the notice Feb. 1.

The township and Cavallo are also being sued by former officer Jason DeMent, who alleged he was fired in 2015 partly for rebuffing the chief's sexual advances.

NJ Advance Media reported Wednesday on the claims by Whalen, Johnston, Gooley and Bishop that Cavallo did not do his job and had retaliated against them for complaining about him.

However, the township redacted the sexual harassment allegations from the tort claim notice, without explanation, before providing the document to NJ Advance Media Monday.

NJ Advance Media on Thursday obtained a copy of the unredacted version of the tort claim notice. It is available below.

The officers allege in the document that since 2008, Cavallo, 58, has made flirtatious, sometimes sexual comments to and about the officers. They also said they witnessed him do the same to other officers in the department.

Whalen, Johnston and Gooley accused the chief of inappropriately touching them, including on the upper inner thigh, the cheek, and during "spontaneous hugs." They claimed the incidents sometimes occurred in vehicles and while they accompanied him at his request to his rental properties in Haddon Township and Williamstown.

One officer also alleged in the tort claim notice that Cavallo texted a picture of himself "from the waist up, shirtless and lathered up in a shower."

The four officers wrote in the notice that when they complained about Cavallo's behavior, either to him or the township, he retaliated against them and further created a hostile work environment.

The officers do not say to whom in the township they reported it, and there is no mention of the alleged sexual harassment in several emails to Foley from Bishop or in a letter from the four officers.

That correspondence, all sent in January, deals only with their concerns about how the chief was not doing his job and that he should not be allowed to interview candidates for a promotion because he was allegedly biased against Whalen and Johnston.

Riso reiterated Friday that no one in the township had knowledge of any harassment complaints before the tort claim notice was filed. He said the township has a sexual harassment policy that would have been put into action if any reports were made.

Foley resigned as commissioner Feb. 21 and was quickly replaced by Jim Mulroy. Foley declined to comment because of the threat of litigation.

The officers allegations of sexual harassment are very similar to those contained in a civil suit filed against the chief and the township by DeMent.

DeMent is suing for wrongful termination and discrimination, claiming that he was fired in 2015 due to a rare disease that affected his eyesight and in retaliation for his refusing the chief's sexual advances.

He claimed that Cavallo indicated to him that desk work might be available to DeMent while he seeks treatment. DeMent said that Cavallo then asked to hold him "like a baby" and when he refused, his boss "never again discussed the possibility" of him keeping his job.

DeMent's attorney, Zachary Wall, said that the four officers' tort claim notice substantiates his client's claims.

"It also demonstrates that Chief Cavallo's mistreatment and harassment of police officers was severe, pervasive, and adversely affected the operation of the entire department," Wall said in a statement.

State records show Cavallo was paid a salary of $131,542 in 2016.

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