CRANFORD — A member of the Cranford Police Department who was recently turned down for a promotion has filed a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court against the township and its mayor for allegedly engaging in retaliatory behavior.

As was previously reported in The Westfield Leader, Sergeant Timothy O’Brien, who joined the force in 1998, alleges that he was recently denied a departmental promotion after being asked by Mayor Brian Andrews to bring a former police officer known for his inflammatory social-media posts to heel.