AG's office taking over tasks for State Police
Accusations of bias lead to move by Platkin
By: Lori Comstock
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... New Jersey's attorney general has ordered an overhaul within several division of the State Police after two independent reports into racial and gender discrimination found "deeply troubling conduct and systemic problems" within the state's top law enforcement agency.
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Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced over two dozen changes to the State Police on Tuesday, [09/24/2024] detailing his calls to strip all human resource functions from the control of the State Police and into the hands of the Attorney General's Office, while also calling for reforms to the hiring process to expand the demographics of the police to "Better reflect the diversity of the state it serves."
..... Platkin's announcement to overhaul internal affairs and human resources comes following the release of two highly critical reports, including a four-year, state-funded review by Hackensack-based law firm Kaufman Dolowich, who confidentially interviewed 150 troopers, "the majority of whom believed they were subjected to race and gender discrimination."
..... "the experiences described in the report by troopers in the State Police are valid, disappointing unacceptable, and will not be simply dismissed by NJSP leadership," Platkin said in a release. "these investigations found that there are favored members at the State Police, and some members hesitate to report discrimination or misconduct for fear of reprisals. This cannot continue."
..... A second report, completed by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), a division under the state AG's office uncovered "extensive problems" with how internal affairs matters were handled by the State Police - findings that aligned with Kaufman Dolowich's reports, despite both being conducted independently, Platkin said.
..... "Notably, both investigative teams found that the Internal Affairs function of the NJSP was weaponized against some troopers, while those favored by management operated with impunity," according to Platkin.
..... State Police Superintendent Colonial Patrick Callahan, who has led the department since 2017, said he is "committed" to work with Platkin and implement his recommendations.
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"We cannot allow these problems to tarnish the honor and fidelity that so many men and women in this uniform live by," Callahan said in a statement.
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Platkin said all human resources and equal employment opportunity functions that were under State Police control will be absorbed into the state Attorney General's Department of Law and Public Safety. Platkin has also directed staff members in the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards (OLEPS) to increase its oversight over the State Police's internal affairs unit, called the Office of Professional Standards (OPS), which will be under the direct oversight of Callahan moving forward. Staff from the OLEPS will help OPS staff decide when a complaint should be transferred to the AG's office for investigation.
..... The New Jersey State police has long been accused by fellow troopers of race and gender bias, including a lawsuit field by four female troopers, one active and three retired, in December 2023. The women spoke of a "culture dominated by straight white men with unfettered power to promote their friends" in an interview with the New York Times
..... The suit sparked the attention of the U.S. Justice Department, which sent federal officials to Camden last September, [2023] where they met with top officials to investigate the claims. It was not immediately clear what, if anything, may have come from that meeting.
..... Last year, [2023] the New Jersey State Police employed 173 female troopers, which was roughly 5% of the agency's 3,264officers. In 2022, there were 174 female troopers and 171 in 2021, data from the Department of Law and Public Safety shows. The number of Black and Latino troopers has risen over the years, but last year, [2023] the force still had 73% white troopers in the state that is culturally diverse.
..... The State Police is lauded as New Jersey's premier law enforcement agency, but that same agency has also come under fire for having a long, troublesome history of discrimination and profiling. This has led to two federal consent decrees and a complete restructuring of how the State Police were trained, supervised and audited during the 2000s.
..... The latest decree, which lasted 10 yeas and ended in 2009, led to the way the agency conducted traffic stops after a pattern of racial profiling. But just last year, [2023] Platkin spoke of his concerns after an independent study revealed racial and ethnic disparates in drivers regularly pulled over by State Police troopers. The study led to the implementations of a pilot program.
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The state attorney general also announced other changes that will be implemented:
* Restructure its State Police training academy to incorporate "best practices."
* Implement mandatory in-service training on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation, and the implementation of an anti-hazing policy.
* Require State Police to notify the state' AG's Office of Professional Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) of all complaints made against State Police senior leadership and the agency's internal affairs office.
* State Police must develop an alternative mechanism for reporting misconduct with the State Police, which must provide for anonymous reporting.* A review of all confidential positions designations, as well as review of the practice and frequency of transfers with the State Police., will be conducted by the Office of Attorney General so that those positions and practices 'serve the stated purposes and are not subject to manipulation."
* Changes to the sick-leave policy and physical fitness tests.
* Providing troopers who are transferred and/or not selected for promotion with supervisory feedback so that they can improve and increase their opportunities for professional advancement.
..... The review conducted by the attorney general's Office of Professional Integrity and Accountability shed light on two incidents that involved a since-retried lieutenant, Joseph Nitti, who had worked in the agency's internal affairs unit.
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Nitti had received a complaint form a trooper about a senior Black officer, but instead of investigation the allegation, Nitti "took unprecedented steps and squandered State resources" to figure out who the tipster was, the attorney general's office said. he obtained typewriter samples, video and fingerprints, seeking DNA testing, in contradiction to direct orders, the AG's office said.
..... In another case, Nitti had allegedly texted colleagues discussing the arrest of a trooper who had been charged with sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old girl on a school sports trip, writing, "Can we at least see a pic of her. I'd like to see what the hubbub is all about."
..... None of the troopers in the group chat reported the comment, skipped initial interviews about it and later showed up to interviews with union-appointed lawyers and refused to turn over their phones, and the troopers provided "nearly verbatim" accounts of what happened and tried to justify Nitti's comments, the AG's Office said.
..... All of those troopers will be transfered out of the internal affairs unit, Platkin said.
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State treasury records show Nitti retried in November 2023 and earns a monthly pension of $8,893. had he not left during the investigation, Nitti would have had seven violation against him, and he would have been fired, Platkin said.
..... The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability also found a "lack of confidentiality" in handling internal affairs materials and failure to maintain objective and unbiased investigations. Supervisors in the State Police's internal affairs office, troopers saids, "tolerate discrimination and discourage complaints," and the office is seen as a "joke" that has lost all credibility and respect, the report said.