Prosecutors say Sergeant Kevin Bollaro was slow to get to the scene and failed to properly investigate before the victims were eventually found dead the day after the initial call.
They were allegedly killed by an ex-boyfriend who was a State Trooper, who then killed himself.
The families and supporters of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb packed Judge Cristopher Garrenger's courtroom on Monday, wearing pictures of the couple as former Sgt. Kevin Bollaro made his first appearance in a courtroom.
Bollaro didn't look over his shoulder to see the group as they walked in.
The State of New Jersey is accusing Bollaro of misconduct and tampering with evidence.
On August 1, three 911 calls reported shots fired and screaming in the area along Upper Kingtown Road near Semanchik's home.
The timeline released in the case showed Bollaro made a stop at an ATM before finally responding to the area nearly 8 minutes later.
He reportedly spoke to only one of the callers and left shortly after, never checking Semanchik's home, where she and Webb had suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
Their bodies were not discovered until the next day.
"From what we understand, this is such a dereliction of duty. It is such a disrespect of life and sanctity of life to have failed to respond to gunshots and screams," Beth Baldinger, the family's attorney, said.
The State Prosecutor is preparing the send the case to a Grand Jury.
Ballaro's attorney is saying his client's actions were not criminal.
"This is a situation where there's an allegation my client did not do his job appropriately or sufficiently. That is not a crime. If we make it a crime, where do we go from there? We're talking about a crime when someone goes to prison," Charles J. Sciarra, Bollaro's attorney, said.
The Semanchik and Webb families are in full support of the state pursuing the charges.
"When you're a law enforcement officer and you are charged with the responsibility to respond in an emergency, to have not done what he was supposed to do, as alleged by the prosecutor's office, is simply unacceptable, unforgivable," Baldinger said.
The alleged shooter, State Trooper Ricardo Santos, was found days later in a car where he had taken his own life.
Many wonder if Semanchik and Webb were found sooner, could they have survived their injuries?
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