(AP) - A New Jersey judge has ordered a town to release tape recordings made by a police chief currently on leave for allegedly making threats against a local official.

The Record reports the tapes had been barred from public release by the borough of Englewood Cliffs because of a judge's order in a related federal case, but that order has since been lifted.

Chief Michael Cioffi was suspended in October after tapes revealed him saying he'd like to kill former council president Carrol McMorrow. McMorrow resigned the week before Cioffi's suspension.

In a lawsuit filed against Mayor Mario Kranjac, Cioffi says the comments were made in jest.

Cioffi's lawsuit claims Kranjac abused his power when he demanded that Cioffi exhaust his accrued vacation days before his retirement.

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