For Immediate Release
June 15, 2020

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal today issued an order requiring police departments in the state to disclose the names of officers who commit serious misconduct, a step to bring greater transparency to police. On Friday, June 12, the ACLU-NJ issued three immediate steps the state can take to begin reining in police, and increasing transparency appeared first on that list.

ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha made the following statement:

“We need to reimagine the role of police, and, as we get there, we need policy changes that will make a meaningful difference now – and greater transparency surrounding police abuses and tactics is among the most critical. The Attorney General’s new order, to disclose the names of police officers who commit serious misconduct, is a big deal. It can go further, as Attorney General Grewal himself acknowledges, and the order should not be limited to officers whose accusations have been sustained, given the inherent conflicts when police investigate themselves.

“No single policy can accomplish the goal of diminishing police power and shrinking its scope, but this policy and others like it, large and small, will point us in the direction of justice.

“The State Police chosen to go even further by releasing information about officers who have abused their power in the past. Every police department in the state should follow this example and strive for transparency and accountability at every opportunity.”

 # # #