NJ's Top Cop Prays For Gordon Family, Officer In Fatal Shooting

NEW JERSEY — The superintendent of the New Jersey State Police says he prayed every day for the family of Maurice Gordon — a black man shot and killed May 23 by a state trooper — and for the officer involved.

Col. Pat Callahan, speaking at Gov. Phil Murphy's daily news conference, said he hoped his words could also offer some level of comfort.

Callahan's words came as the state investigates the shooting by an officer in his agency, and as protests against police brutality and systemic racism surge worldwide, following the death of George Floyd.

Callahan said his agency could improve transparency to help build community relations. But the state's communication on policing has been problematic, according to the family of Maurice Gordon, who a state trooper shot and killed.

Sgt. Randall Wetzel shot Gordon after they got into a physical struggle on the Garden State Parkway. The Office of Attorney General is investigating the incident, and a grand jury will convene to hear the case. Read more: AG Reveals Video Of NJ Trooper's Fatal Shooting Of Black Man

Since the death of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, many have also called for changes in policing from the state of New Jersey and its communities.

Callahan says relationships with communities could improve through better communication of police oversight, including internal affairs, data on motor-vehicle stops and use-of-force information.

"We do a lot that we don’t share very well," Callahan said at Tuesday's state briefing, "and I think that will be a huge step in letting our communities know what is in place and maybe give them the assurances they’re seeking as we move forward."

But the state has failed to effectively communicate important information to Gordon's family, according to William O. Wagstaff III, an attorney representing them.

The OAG released audio and video involving Gordon's death Monday afternoon, but Gordon's family only had the chance to review it shortly before the public could see it. Gordon's family also didn't know until Monday the name of the involved officer or whether Gordon died on scene, in an ambulance or at a hospital.

Wagstaff called Tuesday for the OAG to let Gordon's family receive all evidence collected. He fears authorities may withhold important information from the media and public.

“As I learn about this case more and more, it appears to me that this is in repetition of the long, dark history that has led to a swell of citizens filling the streets in protest,” Wagstaff said.

At the state briefing, a reporter Governor Phil Murphy about calls to "defund the police" — a longtime movement that has received more attention in recent weeks, which generally involves cutting police funds and reallocating them to other aspects of communities.

"I recognize the passion around this, around the notion of defunding the police," Murphy said. "To me, it's ... (about) what are we trying to get to. And I think we're trying to get to law enforcement and community relations that are defined by words like transparency, communication and trust."

Murphy hasn't given any indication that he would push for defunding police. The governor and Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced several new reform initiatives June 2, including the following:

• expanding "crisis intervention team" training
• endorsing statewide certification of police officers, creating a framework to enhance police training
• creating a statewide Use of Force Portal to allow for analysis of use-of-force data from all law-enforcement agencies throughout New Jersey. The pilot program is now complete, and the OAG plans to expand it statewide in July.
• updating the state's use-of-force policy by the end of 2020, following a comprehensive evaluation
• creating a Division of Civil Rights Incident Response Team to respond to communities following a major civil rights incident.

Callahan also pointed to efforts to engage community members with policing.

"(All) 21 prosecutors were holding town halls throughout the year," he said. "Our state police hosted two citizens academies, a 10-week course where diverse citizens from throughout the state, from different walks of life, got to see what the state police was about and become ambassadors for us."

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