The New Jersey State Police was not doing everything it could to prevent discriminatory policing based on rank, the state’s inspector general said in a new report issued Tuesday.
The report found that state police regularly issue lengthy reports on racial profiling, but “leaders continue to report persistent and adverse actions against racial and ethnic minority motorists.” “At no time did we meaningfully address specific data trends that indicated treatment,” the inspector general’s office said.
“The fact that state police have been aware of data showing discriminatory treatment of people of color on our roads for years and yet took no action to counter those trends shows that the problem remains “This shows it’s deeper than we realized,” said Kevin Walsh, assistant state comptroller. In a statement.
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The report was submitted as part of the state inspector general’s mandate to conduct an annual review of the professional standards of state police and law enforcement agencies under a 2009 law. It also follows a 2023 report commissioned by the state attorney general that found evidence of discrimination against Black and Latino drivers.
The New Jersey State Police logo can be seen on the side of the service vehicle. (New Jersey State Police)
The Office of Professional Standards said it has repeatedly asked the inspector general to provide state police with “systemic, environmental and contextual” information to explain these trends. But the inspector general said “in most cases” state police provided little information or a limited response.
Attorney General Matt Platkin, who oversees state police, said in a statement that he had reviewed the report and found much of it “inexcusable and deeply disturbing.”
“It is unacceptable for modern law enforcement to ignore the impact of bias and implicit bias on any profession, including law enforcement,” Platkin said.
A message seeking comment was sent to state police.
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The New Jersey State Police was under federal oversight for 10 years until 2009, when allegations of racial profiling on state highways arose, but the state has vowed to continue oversight and stop discriminatory enforcement during traffic stops. A policy was launched with the aim of abolishing it.
