Suspended Berlin Police Chief Slapped with Harassment Charges

Berlin Township’s police chief was charged Thursday with harassing a woman who works in his department.

Joe Jackson, 45, of West Berlin, is charged with two counts of harassment and simple assault for complaints from the woman that date back two years.

The unnamed woman, who holds a civilian position in the department, accused Jackson of hugging her and lifting her off of the ground on July 16, 2012. That reported incident was the culmination of a series of encounters in which Jackson allegedly touched, rubbed and hugged the employee from April 2010 to July 2012.

Jackson, Berlin’s police chief since 2009, has been suspended since the allegations against him surfaced in September, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. The charges against Jackson are disorderly persons offenses and not indictable.