Police Told To Keep Blacks, Hispanics Out Of This NJ Town, Attorney General Says

CLARK, NJ — Members of the Clark Police Department are alleged to have discriminated against and harassed Black, Hispanic, and other non-white drivers for years, according to a new lawsuit filed by the State of New Jersey.

The complaint, filed in New Jersey Superior Court by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights, also named Clark Township as an enabler of acts in violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the New Jersey Constitution.

The Attorney General's office said that between 2015 and 2020, leaders in Clark Township and on the police force instructed officers "to keep Black people out of Clark."

The complaint alleges that former mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso told police to "keep chasing the spooks out of town" and used a variety of methods designed to act on that order. These included higher "stop and search" rates and certain quotas connected to the practices.

"Elected officials and law enforcement leaders must treat every single person, no matter their race or national origin, with dignity and respect," said Platkin. "That's the bare minimum."

There were at least three major methods police used to keep certain drivers out of Clark, according to the Attorney General's office:

1. A larger focus on motor vehicle enforcement along roads that connected Clark to the Garden State Parkway and neighboring Rahway and Linden, both of which have much larger Black and Hispanic populations
2. A higher priority placed on low-level administrative and equipment violations rather than more directly related traffic safety
3. Using fake allegations about the odor of marijuana to search cars

The Union County Prosecutor's Office took control through supersession of the police department in July 2020 after alleged misconduct, including recordings that allegedly caught the former mayor and other members of the police force using racial slurs.

RELATED COVERAGE: State Calls On Union County Leaders To Discipline Cops Recorded Using Racial Slurs

Actions involving racial disparities did continue due to already-ingrained policy, officials said, even after the supersession, but with notable changes and improvements.

In March 2025, the supersession ended, and Platkin created a state law enforcement monitorship program for the Clark Police Department.

Thursday's announcement of the new lawsuit also comes after a report in November 2023 detailing the findings of a review conducted by the Prosecutor's Office and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

Using expert statistical analysis, the case was built on data such as the rate at which Black and Hispanic drivers were stopped. While the two groups make up less than 11 percent of the Township's population, they were involved in 37 percent of stops for which race was recorded between 2015 and 2020.

This number jumped to more than 53 percent of drivers stopped by Clark Police outside of Clark's boundaries, the Attorney General's Office said.

The lawsuit alleges that police actions were "aided and abetted" by leadership in the Township, including Bonaccorso. He, along with former Chief of Police Pedro Matos and Police Director Patrick Grady, were named as defendants.

The state is looking to win an injunction stopping Clark Township and the Clark Police Department from discriminatory acts, enhanced monitoring of the department and Township by the Division on Civil Rights, and damages paid to victims of these policing practices and policies.

"We cannot and will not allow the repugnant behavior of public officials in Clark Township and the unlawful practices that the Clark Police Department engaged in for years," said Department of Civil Rights Director Yolanda N. Melville.

Anyone with information about alleged discriminatory acts conducted by Clark officials can contact AffirmativeEnforcement@njcivilrights.gov.

Patch has reached out to Township officials, the Township attorney, and leadership within the police department for comment and is yet to hear back.

READ MORE: 'Playing Politics': Clark Mayor Hits Back At AG After Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Township

RELATED COVERAGE: Union Co. Cops Recorded Using Racial Slurs Can Be Fired, Judge Says: Report