New Jersey law enforcement agencies will be required to release the names of officers who were disciplined for what are considered serious offenses.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued the order on Monday, giving agencies until Dec. 31, 2020, to make their first report.
State Police Superintendent Patrick Callahan said he plans to release names of any officer disciplined for a serious offense in the past 20 years by next month.
“We cannot build trust with the public unless we’re candid about the shortcomings of our own officers,” Callahan said. “By releasing the names of state troopers who committed serious disciplinary violations, we are continuing the long, hard work of earning and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve.”
Gov. Phil Murphy praised Callahan’s actions.
“[I’m] proud of Colonel Callahan’s decision to make public the names of all troopers who’ve faced serious disciplinary actions over the past two decades – and to do so by July 15,” Murphy said. “[It’s] a tremendous step forward for transparency that’ll help generate greater trust in our communities.”
In a separate action, the Assembly’s Community Development and Affairs Committee unanimously recommended approval of a bill that requires to collect data on defendants over 18.
“Prosecutors may be vulnerable to conscious or subconscious biases when making decisions about whether to prosecute a case, what to charge, setting bail and negotiating plea bargains,” said Shanique Speight, D-Essex, Angela McKnight, D-Hudson, and Britnee N. Timberlake, D-Essex/Passaic, the sponsors of the bill. “Because we don’t currently have a universal data collection system for prosecutors, we don’t yet understand the extent to which prosecutors may play a role in these disparities.”
The bill was one of several called “social justice reform legislation” heard by the committee on Monday.
Also unanimously recommended is a bill that would charge anyone who makes a false 911 call based on race or another protected class a crime.
“The recent story of Amy Cooper – a white woman who called the police on a black man in Central Park, claiming he was threatening her after he simply asked her to leash her dog, is only one of many incidents over the years of people falsely calling 9-1-1 on black Americans,” said Benjie Wimberly, D-Bergen, Passaic, Yvonne Lopez, D-Middlesex), Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, D-Hunterdon, Mercer, and Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex), the sponsors of the bill. “The police are not personal enforcers to be called whenever someone’s identity offends you – they are to be called in the event of a true emergency.”
A separate bill that creates a civilian review panel to look into complaints about law enforcement was also approved by the committee.
Other items cleared by the panel:
- A bill that decriminalizes possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana and marijuana infused products.
- A bill establishing a Commission of Re-Entry for Women.
- A bill that will widen the pool of potential jurors to include those without a driver’s license.
The bills will go to the full Assembly for a vote.
