Advocacy, racial justice, and nonprofit groups today condemned bipartisan legislation that would remove the New Jersey State Police from the oversight of the New Jersey state Attorney General’s office. Under S4613, whose primary sponsors are Senators James Beach, Michael Testa and Anthony Bucco, the New Jersey State Police would no longer be a division under the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, which is headed by Attorney General Matt Platkin.
The Attorney General’s office has sought to bring greater accountability and transparency throughout the police force, which has been marred by racist practices, and ableist practices, both internal and external, for decades. The office has documented these practices while also pushing for key reforms within the force. Attorney General Platkin and his predecessor, Gurbir Grewal, have issued directives limiting police cooperation with ICE, which has very publicly upended and disrupted communities and families throughout the nation in recent months.
Moreover, the office has worked on ensuring that people with disabilities, including those with mental health diagnoses, autism spectrum disorders, and communication disorders are safe when interacting with law-enforcement officers. The Attorney General’s office has also been at the forefront of legal efforts to curtail the Trump administration’s continuing war on civil rights, due process, immigrants, and people of color.
At a time when federal law enforcement and judicial practices have become politically weaponized under an increasingly authoritarian Trump administration, it’s critical that the office of New Jersey’s state Attorney General continue its oversight of our state’s largest police force.
“The New Jersey State Police has a long, well-documented history of racism embedded in their culture,” said Reverend Charles Boyer, founder of Salvation and Social Justice. “To allow them to separate from the oversight of the Attorney General’s office is not just irresponsible—it’s an assault on the Black community. Their record with Black people is abominable, and if the legislature permits this, it will echo the same disregard for justice we see under the Trump administration.”
“There is no good reason to remove the New Jersey State Police from the oversight of the Attorney General’s office,” said Surraya Johnson, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “That oversight is more critical than ever right now, when law enforcement has been tasked with violating the rights of residents in New Jersey and around the country.”
“It’s vital that Attorney General Platkin continue his office’s efforts in shaping our state police force into a more transparent institution that is accountable to the general public,” said New Jersey Citizen Action Executive Director Dena Mottola Jaborska. “Allowing the New Jersey State Police to operate independently when federal authorities are increasingly unchecked sends the absolute wrong message to New Jerseyans, and in particular to immigrants, people of color, and our most vulnerable residents. We urge our legislature to seek other ways to improve the state police’s effectiveness, and allow Attorney General Platkin to build on the progress his office has made so far.”
"Stripping the Attorney General's oversight of the State Police is a direct attack on government accountability and civil rights in New Jersey," said Marleina Ubel, Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective. "This change would eliminate one of the few independent checks on a law enforcement agency with a long history of systemic racism and abuse. The Attorney General's office not only pushes for reform — it also provides critical data that expose ongoing harm. Weakening this oversight sends a dangerous message: that the State Police should operate without scrutiny, and that justice and public trust are not a priority. Our communities should be demanding stronger oversight, not weaker."
“On the heels of independent investigations that indicate the persistence of systemic racism in policing and employment practices within the New Jersey State Police, this bill would strip the Attorney General – the state's chief law enforcement officer – of their necessary oversight powers,” said ACLU-NJ Interim Policy Director Jim Sullivan. “This misguided legislative effort could not come at a worse time, as we can no longer expect the U.S. Department of Justice to serve as a backstop to hold state police accountable for discriminatory conduct. New Jerseyans – and all people who enter our state – deserve better.”
"We are deeply troubled by this disturbing piece of legislation, which appears aimed at rolling back critical criminal justice reforms championed by the Attorney General's Office," said New Jersey Working Families Party State Director Antoinette Miles. "At a time when our civil rights are under attack from Donald Trump and extreme Republicans in Washington, we need our elected officials in Trenton to be working with General Platkin more closely than ever to ensure that New Jerseyans' rights are protected. This dangerous bill, the apparent product of a political vendetta, threatens to erode the progress we have made, and we are calling on legislative leaders and Governor Murphy to reject it."
The groups condemning the proposed legislation include Salvation and Social Justice, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, New Jersey Citizen Action, New Jersey Working Families Alliance, The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, Make the Road NJ, New Jersey Policy Perspective, and Latino Action Network.
