BRIDGETON — A retired Vineland Police Department officer was awarded $726,266 by a jury Tuesday afternoon for a whistleblower case involving alleged drug-related activities by officers.

Ronald Farabella filed the lawsuit in 2010 in Cumberland County Superior Court.

Following a trial, the jury awarded Farabella $726,266 on Tuesday afternoon for economic and emotional damages in his favor, according to the court's Civil Division Manager Frank Bosco.

The jury will reconvene today to decide punitive damages.

Farabella joined the Vineland Police Department in 1990 and began working in the Street Crimes Unit in 1996 and the Narcotics Unit in 2006, according to the complaint.

"The plaintiff received on multiple occasions and through multiple sources of information, consistent and disturbing facts with regard to fellow police officers committing crimes within the city, most often focusing on illegal controlled substance use, distribution and participation with known and convicted felons," the complaint states.

The police officer first brought the alleged activity to the attention of the Internal Affairs Department in March of 2006 and, three months later, according to the complaint, Farabella directly dealt with Sgt. Paul Shadinger about his concerns.

Three months later Farabella filed a written report of his concerns with the sergeant and later to Lt. Tom Ulrich.

"The lieutenant, visibly upset and angered, berated and cursed the plaintiff for committing the information to a written report," the complaint states.

Afterward, there was a meeting with supervisors and, still unsatisfied, Farabella approached Lt. Robert Romano — who later served as mayor of the city — who then was head of Internal Affairs.

"Plaintiff knew based upon the reaction of Lt. Romano that he simply was not interested," the complaint states. "There was no extensive questioning or interrogation, and absolutely no follow-up thereafter."

Going further up the chain of command, Farabella then approached Chief Timothy Codispoti about his concerns.

"Following that closed door meeting with the chief, the hostility and abrupt nature of contacts with Sgt. Shadinger confirmed to the plaintiff that the command staff was not only unconcerned with the corruption in the department, but that they were hostile to the plaintiff's dutiful and conscientious reports," the complaint states.

While interviewing confidential informants and members of the Bloods street gang in 2007, Farabella received information allegedly implicating several officers and took the information to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.

Over the next year, according to the complaint, Farabella encountered further behavior contrary to the rules and regulations of the department.

On Sept. 30, 2007, Farabella was removed from the Narcotics Unit by his supervisors because of being "stressed out," the complaint states, and demoted back to the patrol division.

"[The police department] began through the action taken in September of 2007 ... to remove the plaintiff from any opportunity to learn of continuing and additional illegal activity by members of his own department and to sever any opportunity of the plaintiff to disclose police corruption," the complaint states.

According to the complaint, retaliation against Farabella included termination of overtime details, being singled out for discipline, being urged to "work harder," being confined to desk duty and describing him as a "crier."

"Plaintiff has now endured multiple leaves, notices of disciplinary action, suspensions, demotions and other adverse employment action, all of which were intended by and served as direct retaliation for the plaintiff's conscientious reports," the complaint states.

Farabella is represented by attorney Louis M. Barbone.

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Contact staff writer Don E. Woods at 856-451-1000, ext. 518 or dwoods@southjerseymedia.com