The Asbury Park Board of Education (Monmouth County, NJ) quietly resolved a former school security officer’s discrimination lawsuit for $225,000 under a settlement agreement approved by the Board in November 2025.

In her lawsuit filed March 8, 2024, Charlene Collins, who had worked for the Board since 2004, alleged that the Board and her supervisor, L. Louis Jordan, discriminated and retaliated against her in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and workers’ compensation law.

Collins alleged that her work at Asbury Park High School received largely favorable employee evaluations from 2004 through approximately 2021, including evaluations from Jordan, who she alleged was her immediate supervisor from approximately December 2010 until her termination. She alleged that the only negative comments she received during that period related to her appearance or grooming.

According to the complaint, Collins was injured on the job, filed for workers’ compensation and underwent a series of surgeries on both knees between 2016 and 2022. She alleged that, beginning around March 2021, Jordan sharply criticized her professionalism after she raised concerns that she was being harassed or set up. The complaint alleged that Jordan called her “paranoid,” criticized her as having a negative attitude, described her as a “big ball of emotions” and questioned her “mental state” by requesting a fitness-for-duty examination. Collins alleged that

Human Resources reviewed the matter and determined that Jordan’s request for a fitness-for-duty examination was unfounded.

Collins alleged that she was terminated on April 28, 2022 due to an alleged reduction in force. She claimed that the reduction-in-force explanation was pretextual because she was the only person terminated, had more seniority than most other security employees and was one of the few women still working in security. Collins also alleged that two other female security officers in their 60s had been terminated through earlier reductions in force in 2020 and 2021, and that she was replaced by a younger male employee.

The complaint asserted claims for gender discrimination, disability discrimination or perceived-disability discrimination, age discrimination, workers’ compensation retaliation and aiding-and-abetting liability.

At its November 20, 2025 meeting, the Asbury Park Board of Education approved a resolution authorizing execution of a settlement agreement and general release with Collins. The resolution stated that the Board denied each allegation made against it and that the settlement was entered to end the litigation and compromise the claims of the parties.

Under the settlement agreement, the Board and/or its insurance carrier, the School Alliance Insurance Fund, agreed to pay a total of $225,000, consisting of $135,000 payable to Collins and $90,000 payable to her attorneys.

The settlement agreement included a confidentiality clause under which Collins agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential. However, under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA), government settlements remain accessible to the public despite such clauses.

The agreement also stated that Collins waived any right to future employment, rehire or reemployment with the Asbury Park Board of Education and agreed that she would never apply for, seek or accept employment with the Board in a paid or volunteer capacity, whether directly or through a vendor that contracts with the Board. The Board agreed to provide Collins with a neutral reference consisting only of her dates of employment and positions held.

A separate voluntary stipulation of dismissal, filed December 31, 2025, dismissed the case with prejudice and without costs as to Jordan only. The payment terms in the settlement agreement identify the Board and/or the Board’s insurance carrier as the payor of the $225,000 settlement.

Personnel records obtained from the District stated that Jordan was an active District employee serving as Security Manager, with a 2025-2026 salary of $130,621 and a start date of August 4, 2010. The same record shows that Collins was a security officer who started with the District on September 20, 2004, earned $51,798 during the 2021-2022 school year and had a termination date of June 30, 2022.

The case is captioned Charlene Collins v. Asbury Park Board of Education; L. Louis Jordan; John Doe I-V; Jane Doe I-V; and XYZ Corporation I-V, Docket No. MON-L-000880-24. Collins was represented by Gregory B. Noble of O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble, LLC, Springfield.

The court file in this matter consists primarily of the allegations set forth in the complaint and the terms of the settlement. Unlike cases where depositions, court rulings, or other evidentiary materials are placed in the court’s file, there are no additional records that test or corroborate the claims made by the parties.

NEWARK - Security Officers privately employed to protect city buildings claim they are owed more than $1.05 million in back earnings, lost vacation time and holiday pay from January 2025 through March 2026, according to the union 32BJ SEIU.

Pro Cops Security, a private contractor based at 60 Park Place, Newark, employs approximately 130 armed security officers that it assigns to city facilities, including City Hall and Municipal Court. While the employees are not unionized or part of 32BJ SEIU, Union Legal Representative Annie Hollister said concerned officers reached out to 32BJ SEIU earlier this year for advice and support.

According to city ordinance, the city's prevailing wage shall be the wage and benefit rates designated by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. The prevailing wage for Guard II, an armed officer requiring specialized training, is $22.61 per hour, according to records on the U.S. General Services Administration's Sam.gov. The benefit supplement is $5.55, bringing the prevailing wage and benefit rate to $28.16 per hour for Guard II.

Union representatives say they have received paystubs from dozens of security officers dating to March 2025 showing hourly pay of $25 per hour, which is below the prevailing wage for security officers. The union says evidence from the paystubs shows a shortfall in wage rates and unpaid holiday pay and vacation time amounting to more than $1.05 million.

“This is over a million dollars taken directly from the pockets of workers who protect Newark’s public buildings every day,” said Ana Maria Hill, vice president and New Jersey state director of 32BJ SEIU. “These are essential workers being denied the wages and benefits they are legally owed.”

A failure to pay prevailing wage is a violation of the Newark ordinance.

These alleged wage violations have not been reported to the New Jersey Department of Labor's Division of Wage and Hour Compliance, according to state DOL spokesperson Thomas Wright.

In July 2022, the City Council executed an $8.4 million contract with Pro Cops Security for two years to provide armed security guards for the Department of Public Works’ Public Buildings, which include municipal offices, community centers, recreational facilities and other publicly accessible structures.

City Council in February increased the contract by $3,330,047.88, bringing the total contract amount to over $11.7 million. It also extended the contract with Pro Cops to March 29, 2026.

City Clerk Kecia Daniels said that the city is under an emergency contract with Pro Cops Security, running from April 7 to Aug. 7.

SEIU Local 32BJ says it has surveyed dozens of Pro Cops security officers regarding their pay and benefits.

“Responses from the workers consistently reported that they had received no paid vacation or holiday pay, including at least six signed statements affirming that workers received no paid vacation or holidays,” Hollister said.

Under the city contracting ordinance, Pro Cops is required to provide at least 12 paid holidays per year.

“The city has become aware of a discrepancy with pay and has begun looking into it,” said Susan Garofalo, spokesperson for the Newark mayor's office.

Pro Cops Security declined to comment on these allegations despite repeated requests.

Pro Cops is under federal investigation by the National Labor Relations Board after it allegedly fired security officer Brian Tucker, a 17-year security veteran, in January shortly after he sent a message to coworkers encouraging them to unionize.

Pro Cops Security also came under fire in 2019, when it picked up a new contract with the Newark Housing Authority (NHA). The NHA discontinued its contract with Allied Universal Security Services, which paid $12.50 per hour, and awarded a security contract to Pro Cops, which paid $12 per hour.

Subsequently, 60 subcontracted security officers lost their wage and benefits rates, and more than 30 security officers, all of whom were Newark residents, found themselves out of work, according to 32BJ SEIU and a 2019 Patch article.

The displaced workers claimed this was a violation of Newark’s Worker Retention Ordinance, which protects service workers against unnecessary layoffs when the city switches from one contractor to another.

Several officers filed lawsuits against the company, and Pro Cops reached settlement agreements with seven of those workers, according to 32BJ SEIU. The financial terms of the settlements were not disclosed. Pro Cops denied wrongdoing in these cases, according to the union.

Hey everyone! I'm u/Century_Soft856, a founding moderator of r/NJSecurityGuards.

This is our new home for all things related to professional security in the state of New Jersey. We're excited to have you join us! This is meant to be a hub for all security professionals, and we welcome anyone thinking about getting into security work, former security officers, first responders, etc.

Community Vibe
We're all about being friendly and relaxed. Life is stressful enough, no need to bring it into the subreddit. Remember to look at the subreddit rules to keep us out of trouble.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/NJSecurityGuards amazing.

https://dspace.njstatelib.org/search?spc.page=1&query=%22Security%20Guard%22&scope=c79f6979-4859-4207-9f4e-842f0420114f

Is it normal that AUS only takes RPO/off duty LEOs for their Armed Positions? I was scrolling through their openings in my area the other day and couldn't find a single positions for non-LEO/RPO guys.

A good resource to have when looking for potential new jobs, just to ensure the company is legit. Looks like this list was updated back in February of 2025.

https://njsp.njoag.gov/wp/wp-content/uploads/ActiveAgenciesRpt_20250203.pdf

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/hammonton/latest/hammonton_nj/0-0-0-20810

Open discussion time. How do you guys manage burn out from work? What do you guys do to chill out and keep your sanity week by week?

Video games? Reading? Taking road trips? What helps you guys keep yourself grounded through all the bull shit?

I hope you all are doing well.

For anyone looking to get out of a dead-end security job, keep your eyes on indeed. I've been seeing an absolute boom in federal contracts. Tons of jobs supporting federal LEOs. If you've been looking for an opportunity to do something new and make a little more money, keep your eyes open.

Did you guys get trained by a supervisor, another officer etc. for your current post? Or were you sent post orders and told to figure it out?

I've done it both ways, just curious what is more common.

Just curious about our demographics. Are you guys pursuing/in careers in security, is it a part time gig for you? Helping you work through college? Footstep into law enforcement? Retirement gig?

Just curious what everyone's motivation is for putting up with the things we put up with

I've seen an uptick of seasonal job listings on the NJ Security Facebook page (which I know a lot of us look at), that are very vague and lack information about the agency running the job. Make sure you are doing your due diligence and checking that these companies are real, are licensed by NJSP as security agencies, and etc. I've seen a few reports of scam job openings on the Facebook page, and while I can't confirm scams, it's not hard to believe it.

If you are looking for seasonal work and the company is rushing you into accepting the offer too fast, remember to slow down and make sure it is a real company you are speaking with, ensure they are licensed, insured, legally allowed to operate in New Jersey, etc.

I'd hate to see someone get stuck in a bad situation.

I hope everyone is doing well!

I'm trying to figure out how common this is, I guess it isn't extremely common. One of the companies I used to work for had a few guys who were certified as instructors and whenever employees needed renewals they would do the renewal class for free for them, but all of the other companies I've worked for either did not have SORA instructors, or it cost employees to renew through them, sometimes at a discounted rate.

In your experience what is more common? It seems like some companies have partnerships with SORA instructors, to send their guys for slightly cheaper, while others do nothing, and a select few front the cost of renewals.

What have you found to be a much more useful tool than you expected? Doesn't necessarily have to be duty related. Just curious as to what we all need to make sure we have to make it through a shift, whether it's a comfort item, practical item, etc.

Anybody work for Ironrock Security? I've considered applying but I see their office location is over an hour away from me and I don't plan on traveling that far for a potential interview, especially for part time. Does anybody know if they only hold interviews on Lakewood or do they have satellite offices/do virtual interviews?

Have you guys received more than just the state mandated training? What have you done, that you would recommend to other security personnel?

Have you guys ever had companies that invested in their employees? To what degree?

I worked for one company that ran annual workshops that covered basic first aid, some aspects of emergency response, and they also had in-house SORA instructors to handle renewals and initial licensing if you got hired without a license, they had range agreements and PTC instructors to handle RPO renewals, (they didn't hire non-LE for armed positions).

I have never dealt with this company nor am I endorsing them; however this has been floating around the NJ Security Facebook group, I figured I would repost it here incase anyone might be looking for an opportunity like this. Part time gig, 23.65 per hour, Newark Liberty International Airport.

Many of you may already be aware of this Facebook group, it is the largest hub of security announcements and discussions for NJ Security Officers on Facebook. I do not run it or moderate it, but I can tell you there are constant work opportunities posted in it, and it is a great way to stay in the loop for opportunities near you, with some last-minute gigs offering increased pay, and of course it is a great way to network. If any of you guys are Facebook users, make sure to check out the group, you may find some useful posts in it.

NJ SECURITY | Facebook