Jim Walsh

@jimwalsh_cp

A legal dispute over the Internal Affairs department of Camden's former police force has moved to federal court.

In a pair of lawsuits filed this month, two former supervisors contend the department's leaders, including now-Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson, used the Internal Affairs department "for improper purposes."

Anthony Carmichael and John Sosinavage contend they were told to charge officers with serious offenses "without conducting investigations into the allegations." The lawsuits say they were told in some cases to act on allegations by high-ranking inspectors.

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Sosinavage also contends he was required to drop investigations into "favored" officers.

The men, both lieutenants on the city force, say they were transferred to the midnight shift in April 2009 after objecting to their superiors' orders. Carmichael, currently a lieutenant with the county police department, also contends he was passed over for promotion to captain.

Sosinavage did not continue with the county force when it replaced the city department in May 2013, his lawsuit indicates.

Thomson could not be reached Wednesday. But in May 2010, after Carmichael and Sosinavage initially sued in state court, he dismissed the claims as baseless and fueled by "personal animosity."

Sewell attorney Cheryl Cooper filed the federal cases after the state cases were closed. She could not be reached Wednesday.

Defendants include Camden County and Camden City, as well as several officers who held high-ranking positions in the city and county police departments. Also named is Louis Vega, a civilian who was the city's Police Director in 2008-09.

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County spokesman Dan Keashen declined to comment Wednesday, saying the county's attorneys had not yet seen the suits.

The lawsuits say Carmichael was assigned to supervise Internal Affairs as an acting captain in July 2008. Sosinavage at that time was commander of IA's administrative division.

The suits allege Thomson and Vega told the lieutenants "it was not necessary to follow the Attorney General guidelines" when investigating and charging police officers.

"Defendants Vega and Thomson wanted to be in charge of everything with respect to (Internal Affairs)," the suits allege.

Both suits say the lieutenants objected to unnamed city administrators, who allegedly advised Carmichael to discontinue the previous policy.

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Carmichael allegedly learned he was going to the overnight shift on April 20, 2009, when he was told to go home to sleep and to return at 9:30 p.m., his lawsuit says. Sosinavage, who was told he'd oversee "problem people" on the late shift, helped train a new Internal Affairs supervisor.

"During this transitional period, the inspectors again forwarded recommendations for administrative charges for serious misconduct and indicated no investigation was necessary," the lawsuits say. "Sosinavage was ordered to just issue the preliminary notice of discipline based solely upon the memoranda of the inspectors."

Reach Jim Walsh at jwalsh@gannett.com or (856) 486-2646.