Federal officials announced Tuesday that the City of Trenton and the Trenton Police Department are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over potential civil rights violations concerning the department's "use of force and its stops, searches and arrests."
"Our decision to open this investigation is based on an extensive review of publicly available information," said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's civil rights division.
She said that the investigation will seek to determine whether there are systemic violations of the Constitution and federal law by Trenton's police force.
As an example, she said investigators will be reviewing "problematic uses of force" against individuals who are stopped for minor traffic offenses, those who are complying to police commands or those who are restrained.
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"We also reviewed information suggesting that officers may have used force to punish people for exercising their Constitutional right to observe or question police activity," Clarke said Tuesday.
According to Clarke, this investigation will include a comprehensive review of the policies, training and supervision of officers in the Trenton Police Department.
She said that investigators plan to meet with the command and line staff of the Trenton Police Department, and they also plan to meet with community groups and members of the public.
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Clarke said that the investigation hopes to build trust between the city's police force and the community it is committed to serve.
"Building that confidence and trust is one of the keys objectives of this investigation," she said.
The decision to open this investigation, Clarke said is not based on a single event or aimed at investigating any specific unit or individual in the Trenton Police Department.
In discussing this investigation, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger for the District of New Jersey, said that he attended a recent town hall meeting in Trenton, where several attendees stopped him in order to express concerns about the Trenton Police Department.
"One community member after another voiced concerns about how officers of the Trenton Police Department treat the people of Trenton," he said. "As one community member wrote in a note to us, 'we are scared of the law because they don't like us'."
NBC10 reached out to the Trenton Police Department for comment after the announcement of this investigation, but were directed to contact the city's Mayor's Office.
Trenton's Mayor W. Reed Gusciora released the following statement on the investigation Tuesday afternoon.
"I was informed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office this morning that his office will be conducting a civil pattern and practice investigation of the Trenton Police Department," Gusciora wrote. "I’ve instructed all levels of City government to fully cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its investigation. My administration knows all-too-well the difficulty and danger police officers face on a daily basis. We thank and support the overwhelming majority of officers at the city, county, and state level who do the right things every day to keep Trentonians safe. These officers have been instrumental in taking guns off the streets and preventing senseless acts of violence. In the past few months, over 214 firearms, 2,868 grams of crack-cocaine, and 26,066 decks of heroin, and $133,722 dollars were seized from drug and firearm traffickers. But we also recognize that the community’s trust in our police force is critical. If any members of law enforcement violate the public trust or act in contravention of our state and federal laws, they should and must be held accountable."
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