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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:21 pm
Time: 10:21 pm
Results for police misconduct (new jersey (u.s.)
1 results foundAuthor: Shalom, Alexander Title: The Crisis Continues Inside Police Internal Affairs Summary: Having an impartial complaint process that allows citizens to air grievances about police misconduct, accompanied by complete and fair investigations into those complaints, will improve law enforcement throughout New Jersey. The State of New Jersey recognized this more than two decades ago when the Attorney General first issued a comprehensive list of internal affairs (IA) rules establishing the rights of New Jerseyans to file complaints and a process by which they could do so. Having an effective IA process improves law enforcement because complaints often contain information that can alert supervisors in police departments that something is amiss and needs prompt attention. Additionally, by improving police practices and policies, good IA systems save public resources by preventing expensive litigation that may result when complaints are not addressed in compliance with the Attorney General Guidelines. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) has recognized the importance of ensuring that police departments act in accordance with best practices. Too often, we receive complaints from citizens who feel that they are unable to get their grievance about an officer’s conduct addressed by the department that is best equipped to handle and respond to the complainant: the officer’s home department. In June 2009, we published a report examining how many of New Jersey’s municipal police departments were in compliance with the Attorney General’s Guidelines. The results were disturbing. We learned that the majority of departments failed to follow the law and the guidelines regarding individuals’ rights to file IA complaints. We then attempted to work with many of the departments. Over the past two years, we have taken numerous steps to provide assistance to those departments seeking to correct their errors and implement best practices in this area. This report picks up where the June 2009 report left off, incorporating the lessons from 2009 to conduct an even more thorough analysis in 2012. The results remained disconcerting. Once again a majority of local departments provided inaccurate information in response to the most basic questions regarding individuals’ rights to file IA complaints. The ACLU-NJ remains ready to serve as a partner with police departments that seek help in implementing best practices. Both police and the public benefit when individuals feel their complaints are both welcomed and addressed. However, leadership on this issue must also come from the top. As noted, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) maintains useful and instructive guidelines to ensure access to the IA process. Having shared a draft of this report with the OAG, the ACLU-NJ is extremely pleased to report that the OAG will soon roll out two initiatives demonstrating its commitment to an accessible IA process and proper training of law enforcement regarding the rights of citizens to file IA complaints. First, the OAG will distribute to all NJ law enforcement agencies a laminated quick reference guide on how to handle IA complaints, designed to be placed by telephones in police departments. The informative guide, similar to ones the ACLU-NJ provided to many departments, demonstrates the desire of the OAG to ensure that the established rules are followed. Second, the OAG is developing an online training course for all police employees to access. Using NJ Learn, a training platform for all New Jersey first responders, police personnel will be able to test their knowledge of the rules that govern access to internal affairs. Both initiatives illustrate the strong commitment the OAG has made to encouraging compliance with its quality guidelines and full access to the IA process. The onus now shifts to the municipal departments to take advantage of the resources the state has pledged to provide. Details: Newark, NJ: American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, 2013. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2013 at: http://www.aclu-nj.org/files/3413/6059/3876/ACLU_NJ_Internal_Affairs.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.aclu-nj.org/files/3413/6059/3876/ACLU_NJ_Internal_Affairs.pdf Shelf Number: 127732 Keywords: Police EthicsPolice Internal Affairs UnitsPolice Misconduct (New Jersey (U.S.) |