|
Trenton,
NJ – U.S. District Court Judge Mary
L. Cooper today dissolved the federal consent
decree that provided for federal oversight
and monitoring of the New Jersey State Police
for the last 10 years. Over that period of
time, the New Jersey State Police made significant
reforms in the management and training of
troopers, justifying the termination of the
consent decree.
The
consent decree, which was entered into by
the State and the U.S. Justice Department
following an investigation into profiling
of minority drivers on the state’s highways,
was dissolved on a joint motion by both parties.
Last month, Governor Jon S. Corzine signed
into law the Law Enforcement Professional
Standards Act of 2009, which codifies the
reforms implemented by the State Police to
end racial profiling. The law mandates continued
state oversight and monitoring of the State
Police, creating an office within the Attorney
General’s office that will continue
the oversight role that had been performed
by federal monitors under the consent decree.
“The
action in court today recognizes the significant
steps that have been taken by the State Police
to eliminate racial profiling,” Gov.
Corzine said. “At the same time, it
confirms that the state intends to remain
vigilant on its own in ensuring that the reforms
adopted to eliminate racial profiling are
permanent.”
"The
State Police have achieved significant reforms
in the training, supervision and monitoring
of road troopers, making them a model for
law enforcement throughout the country,”
Attorney General Anne Milgram said. “The
State Police worked hard to change its culture
and was found by the federal monitors to be
in full compliance with the consent decree
for several years.”
State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes
said, “The court-ordered lifting of
the federal consent decree represents a watershed
moment for all of the more than four thousand
members of the New Jersey State Police who
have worked tirelessly to gain and maintain
the public's trust and confidence through
transparency, sound managerial oversight and
holding fast to the best practices of police
professionalism and reform.”
Changes
at the Division of State Police include new
management, training and supervisory policies
to carefully monitor road stops. Trooper cars
have been outfitted with dashboard cameras,
and the division intends to convert all cameras
to a new digital system.
Two
federal monitors had found the division to
be in compliance with the consent decree for
several years when Governor Corzine appointed
an advisory committee on police standards
to conduct an independent review of State
Police practices in 2006. The committee recommended
that the substantial changes in operating
procedures adopted by the State Police be
permanently codified in legislation.
###
|
