A 22-year veteran of the Paramus Police Department says a single click on Facebook set off a chain of retaliation that cost him multiple promotions to sergeant. Officer Michael Boccher Sr. filed a lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court in May 2026 accusing Chief Robert Guidetti and the Borough of Paramus of punishing him for liking a post that argued police officers should be held accountable for their actions and are not above the law.
According to NJ.com, which first reported details of the case, Boccher clicked like on the post after a Paramus officer left a marked patrol vehicle running and unattended outside a Hackensack restaurant in October 2025. A 61-year-old man then allegedly stole the vehicle, which had a loaded rifle inside, and it was found about a quarter mile away with minor damage after he apparently struck an object, according to the same report. Daily Voice reported that Chief Guidetti defended the department's practice of keeping patrol engines running to power essential emergency communications equipment.
Boccher, who joined the Paramus force in 2004 and lives in Parsippany, alleges he was repeatedly denied promotion to sergeant despite seniority, strong evaluations and commendations. Per the NJ.com report, the officer received an internal affairs complaint in December 2025, and he alleges that the officer involved in the stolen vehicle incident was later promoted after Boccher liked the Facebook post.
A Pattern Stretching Back Years
Boccher's complaint, filed under the New Jersey Civil Rights Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, lays out a multi-year pattern of bypasses. As detailed by The Ridgewood Blog, six officers were promoted to sergeant in 2023, five of them junior to Boccher, followed by three less-senior officers promoted over him in 2024 and two younger, less-senior officers promoted ahead of him in 2026.
In a separate matter, Police1 reported that a New Jersey appeals court upheld the removal of the last 10 questions from a 2019 sergeant exam after the Civil Service Commission said they unfairly lowered scores. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission said applications for its 2026 Law Enforcement Examination were open through March 31, 2026.
The same outlet reported that Chief Guidetti met with Boccher in January 2025 to discuss the bypasses, telling the officer to tighten up and do the job, and the promotion will come. Boccher's suit alleges that instruction was baffling given his record of commendations and high evaluations. He further alleges, per the lawsuit, favoritism toward friends and family associates.
Guidetti rose from detective to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and deputy chief before becoming chief in 2023, according to department background cited in the dossier. The department has 95 members and serves roughly 26,000 residents, per NJ.com. Boccher is approximately two years from retirement eligibility and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages along with attorney fee reimbursement while he continues working as an active officer.
Borough Denies Retaliation, Seeks Dismissal
The Borough of Paramus and Guidetti have acknowledged that Boccher was the subject of an internal affairs complaint but denied the remainder of his allegations. Officials specifically denied that Boccher was punished for liking a Facebook post critical of another officer, and they told NJ.com that the decision not to promote him was not arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable.
In a 16-page answer filed in Bergen County Superior Court on August 19, the borough and Guidetti raised 32 affirmative defenses, as reported by Daily Voice. The filing argues that municipal code is not the sole factor in promotional decisions and claims Boccher failed to exhaust administrative remedies before suing. The borough also raised other affirmative defenses, and it has asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit entirely. Boccher's attorney, Albert J. Seibert, is representing him in the case.
What the Law Says About a Facebook Like
The case turns partly on a question with real legal precedent behind it: is clicking like on Facebook protected speech for a public employee? In the 2013 case Bland v. Roberts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found that it can be, comparing a Facebook like to placing a political candidate's yard sign on private property, according to the Suffolk Law Review.
New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination separately bars public employers from retaliating against employees or discriminating based on age, and state courts have allowed failure-to-promote lawsuits against municipal police departments, according to Mashel Law. Successful plaintiffs under that statute can recover back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages. Paramus adopted a strict anti-nepotism ordinance in 2022, and Boccher's suit contends favoritism within police command staff remains a separate, unresolved issue. The lawsuit remains pending in Bergen County Superior Court as both sides press their competing versions of what happened after that single click.
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