An investigation into the practices of the Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton has commenced, conducted by both the Justice Department and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. This inquiry will closely inspect allegations of excessive force, illegal stops, unwarranted searches and unlawful arrests made by the police department, as declared by authorities on Tuesday.
This pattern-or-practice investigation materialised after an extensive analysis of court records, statistical data, press coverage, body-cam footage, and multiple instances of what Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General, termed as correspondences of “problematic uses of force”, particularly involving incidents of minor traffic violations.
Clarke revealed in a press conference that there is valid information suggesting a pattern of Trenton officers needlessly intensifying encounters with citizens. This frequently, unfortunately, ends up in dubious applications of force, particularly against those dealing with mental health crises.
Clarke continued to remark that information under review covers instances of officers habitually conducting unwarranted stops and searches on pedestrians and vehicles, at times causing unnecessary harm to the people involved.
Phillip Sellinger, US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, stated that multiple reports were inspected, highlighting incidents of Trenton police officers resorting to excessive force and breaching constitutional rights.
He went on to mention instances of unnecessary force exerted on compliant civilians and using force as a form of retaliation against bystanders capturing officer interactions on video.
Sellinger noted, “We have countless reports showcasing Trenton Police Department officers conducting baseless stops and searches, often targeting minority residents. These unjustifiable stops, at times, inflate into questionable arrests merely because the individual questioned the reason for being stopped.”
The investigation, slated to be the 11th of its kind initiated since the year 2021, will offer a comprehensive analysis of department policies, training, supervision, complaints logging, internal investigation protocol and respective reviews and decisions.
Public outreach will also be conducted covering civilian experiences with the department. Sellinger shared his own first-hand experience at a town hall conducted a few weeks back which highlighted concerns about unnecessary force and unlawful stops and searches.
Mayor Reed Gusciora of Trenton, Director Steve Wilson of Trenton Police Department, among others, have been updated on the investigation and have agreed to cooperate.
A potential outcome if the Justice Department establishes a pattern of unnecessary force usage could involve a lawsuit demanding court-ordered changes. Underlining the seriousness of these accusations, Clarke concluded, “Our investigation aims to verify whether these allegations are true and whether the Trenton Police Department is immersed in a pattern of violations of the Constitution or federal law. The investigation will be exhaustive and unbiased.”
