A Hackensack police officer was placed on paid leave after being accused of placing a tracking device in the vehicle of his estranged wife, authorities said.

Richard Levis of Butler faces burglary and stalking charges, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.

“It’s being handled by the Prosecutor’s Office and we’re cooperating with the investigation,” said Gerard Marinelli, the city police director on Tuesday night. Levis was placed on leave as of Monday from his $169,761 job.

On Dec. 30, the Prosecutor’s Office received information that Levis might have secretly placed a tracking device in his estranged wife’s car without her permission. The Prosecutor’s Office, working with the Oakland Police Department, found the tracking device in her vehicle.

The 48-year-old man, who has been employed as a city police officer since August 1996, was arrested and given a summons for the incident Monday, the Prosecutor’s Office said. His first court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.

The city police union president, Frank Cavallo, said he was unaware of the incident and did not want to comment.

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