New Jersey Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal, directed all New Jersey law enforcement agencies to disclose the names of officers who have been fired, demoted or suspended for more than five days. The directive requires the disclosure of fired, demoted or suspended officers names by the end of the year. The directive further mandates the ongoing release of this information.
The directive comes amid nationwide protests against police brutality and demands for police reform.
The Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police disclosed that it plans on releasing the records of all state troopers who have committed major violations over the past two decades. The New Jersey State Police plans to release 400 records by July 15th.
Police unions have threatened to commence litigation seeking to block the release of these records.
A novel, interesting, and important legal battle will likely follow.
Presumably, those in favor of the release of these records will assert that their release will help police departments gain trust. Further, an argument may be made that the potential release of disciplinary records would serve a deterrent for excessive force, brutality, racial profiling, and discrimination.
Those against the disclosure will likely assert that it violates officers’ privacy rights and subjects current and former police officers to harassment for incidents that occurred a long time ago.
