July 27, 2004

NEWARK, NJ — The ACLU of New Jersey today issued a report demonstrating that the problems plaguing the New Jersey State Police also affect police departments throughout the state. The ACLU called on the Governor and Attorney General to collect and disseminate complete information on problems of police violence, misconduct, racism, and corruption.

“The crisis in policing is much deeper than racial profiling and much more widespread than the State Police,” said Lenora Lapidus, ACLU-NJ Legal Director. “At a minimum, our report shows the need for an immediate, comprehensive audit of all police departments statewide, to include racial profiling data, citizen complaints, and racial makeup of police personnel.”

The report falls on the heels of a public admission to racial profiling in the State Police by the Govenor and Attorney General, as well as a plan for specific reforms. These actions by the state came only after years of knowing about the problems, denying them, and doing nothing about them. The ACLU has concerns about the preliminary report, especially the inadequate specifications for the Early Warning System. The ACLU is also worried about implementation of the reforms, given the state's record of inaction and the plans of Attorney General Verniero and Governor Whitman to move to higher office.

“While the Attorney General and Governor deserve credit for recognizing problems in the State Police and for proposing steps to address them, their response falls short in several respects,” said David Rocah, ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney. “Their belated acknowledgement of the problems cannot absolve them of responsibility for having allowed them to fester for so long.”

“The Attorney General acknowledges in his report that racial profiling is not just a problem of the State Police,” pointed out Kevin Keenan, Acting Executive Director. “The ACLU agrees and we call for statewide reforms to track and prevent such problems, as well as real systems of accountability that go beyond the fox guarding the hen house.