BOGOTA — A borough officer has been cleared of wrongdoing after he was recorded threatening to ticket teachers and boasting there was nothing school officials could do about it during a profanity-laden rant.

Sgt. Craig Lynch left the recording, which is expected to be addressed by the Board of Education during a special meeting tonight, when he accidentally dialed a school district phone line with his cellphone after he left the Steen Elementary School principal's office in August, according to district officials.

"[Expletive] you and the school superintendent and your [expletive] Ph.D. and the entire school district," he says in the recording. "[Expletive] you. You can't touch me. You're not my [expletive] boss. [Expletive] you."

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Much of the recording is of Lynch reiterating what he had told Principal Dayle Santoro in her office after helearned that a former staff member was not rehired by the school board, she said.The threats have left Santoro worried to be in the school building alone, she said.

In the recording, which was obtained by The Record and NorthJersey.com through a public records request, Lynch is heard threatening to stand outside the school giving tickets to every teacher who pulls out of the parking lot.

During the four-minute rant, punctuated with curse words, the officer warns that the district does not want to get into a fight with the police.

“You’re not going to win a battle with the police,” he says. “You’re not going to win. That’s a losing battle every time.”

An internal investigation into the verbal encounter between Lynch and Santoro by the borough Police Department exonerated Lynch.

In a letter sent to the district last month, Capt. James Sepp acknowledged that “the event did occur" but said the actions of the officer were "justified, legal and or proper.”

“I want you to understand that all complaints are important and none are brushed off or put to the side,” Sepp wrote. “I know that I cannot make your feelings with regards to your incident go away but I do want you to understand that your complaint was investigated thoroughly.”

Vincent Varcadipane, the interim superintendent, filed a complaint shortly after Lynch's encounter with Santoro, requesting a Police Department investigation, and he barred Lynch from entering district buildings until it was complete. Varcadipane said he was disappointed with the result of the internal investigation.

“The whole situation was very unfortunate,” Varcadipane said. “But our staff and my principal and I felt threatened by the possible outcomes and fallout that were revealed on that tape. We felt it was our obligation to ensure that our staff is protected and they feel comfortable in their work environment.”

Sepp and Police Chief Daniel Maye did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Lynch, a 28-year veteran of the Police Department who runs a youth academy in the borough every summer, walked into the Steen Elementary School principal’s office in August and launched into the profanity-laden tirade, school officials said.

Santoro said Lynch came into her office, closed the door halfway and began cursing and ranting about a former district employee, the superintendent and his dislike of the school board.

"He spewed this vitriol and then discussed that he could enter my building at any time and what was I going to do about it," Santoro said. "He continued to say that he would stand at the corner and write tickets to teachers as they leave if there were any sort of retaliation against him."

Santoro said she used to come in to work on the weekends, but that she no longer feels comfortable in the school building when it is empty.

"It's been disconcerting and unnerving," she said. "As a school principal, my main concern is for the safety of the students and staff. It's hard to feel safe at the school when he speaks in that way and uses intimidation tactics."

Lynch, who often worked with students in the district leading anti-bullying and anti-drug programs, is still not allowed in borough schools except during emergencies, Varcadipane said.

“If we call the police and he is on duty as a police officer, absolutely, he is allowed to do his job and come into the schools,” he said. “Otherwise he is still not allowed in the schools.”

Lynch was in Steen School on Aug. 16, the day the incident occurred, because he was cleaning up after the Bogota Emergency Services Youth Academy graduation, which was held there the day before.

He began the program seven years ago as a way to introduce middle-schoolers to police work and build relationships between officers and children before they reach high school. On Friday, he said he is unsure whether he will continue the program next year.

“That program is wildly popular, but at this point the youth academy is in big trouble," he said. "My record speaks for itself. I've done nothing but good for this district."

Charles Severino, the Board of Education president, said Friday that the board plans to read a statement about the incident at its meeting tonight.

"My personal opinion is I think it's insulting. It defies common sense," he said of the department's investigation. "If you're saying it happened, how can you also say it is reasonable and justified? I don't wish ill on anyone, but I think there should have been some kind of discipline."

Lynch said he will be at tonight's meeting to hear what the board has to say and that he plans to consult with an attorney.

"I feel like I'm being harassed," he said. "This matter has been adjudicated and I've been exonerated. Why are we still talking about this? At this point it feels personal."

Email: burrow@northjersey.com