The Department of Justice, in conjunction with the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, has initiated an investigation into the Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton for allegations of undue use of force, improper stops, unwarranted searches, and illicit arrests. The announcement was made on Tuesday, after an intricate review of diverse kinds of records, from court documents and statistical data to media articles and body-camera footage.
The probe, deemed a pattern-or-practice investigation, was ignited by unearthing certain anomalies in the law enforcement practices, predominantly around minor traffic violations, which Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke referred to as “problematic uses of force”. She indicated, knowledge of situations where officers may have escalated encounters with Trenton residents, leading to unwanted confrontations with citizens in mental distress.
Clarke highlighted additional evidence suggesting rampant warrantless searches, initiated by officers pulling over pedestrians or vehicles, with little or no legal fallout. The documentations indicated instances of unwarranted use of force, causing serious injuries to the concerned individuals.
US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Phillip Sellinger, mentioned the numerous documented cases of Trenton police officers resorting to excessive force, apparently violating constitutional rights. These instances bore witness to instances of force applied unfairly towards policing-compliant citizens, and also as retaliation towards bystanders capturing the events on video.
According to Sellinger, “There are countless instances where Trenton Police Department officers have been implicated in conducting stops and searches without any credible excuse,” particularly targeting minority residents. In several cases, these troubling stops escalated into arrests, oftentimes because the individuals wanted clarifications on why they were stopped.
The Trenton Mayor’s office, chosen as the official comment platform, remained unresponsive to CNN’s request for comments. Tenth in line since 2021, this pattern-or-practice investigation has seen stories of success, such as Seattle’s use of force statistics showing a sharp 60% fall, and Baltimore, boasting an independent assessment that their force application was sparing, and when unavoidable, in compliance with the department policy.
Promising a comprehensive yet time-bound investigation of about a year, Clarke vowed to assess the department’s policies, training modules, supervision protocols, logging complaints, and internal investigation methods. The probe is also set to evaluate the department’s procedures on complaint reviews, adjudications, and disciplinary decisions.
In a bid to find a resolution, the Justice Department and the US attorney’s office will be venturing into community outreach, to unearth experiences with the Trenton Police Department. Sellinger, who himself participated in a town hall five weeks back, echoed the communities concerns about unwarranted force and stops. He also reiterated their stories of how unconstitutional policing could breed mistrust and fear within the community.
Reed Gusciora, Trenton Mayor, along with Trenton Police Department Director Steve Wilson, among others, has reportedly been informed of the investigation and have pledged their cooperation.
If the investigation stands on its claims of a pattern of excessive force use, the Justice Department has vowed to knock on court’s door, seeking mandated changes. Clarke emphasized the gravity of the allegations and vowed a meticulous and unbiased investigation to establish their veracity.
