Bergen County Law Enforcement Discipline Records To Be Released

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A new directive from Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella includes revised internal affairs procedures, as well as public disclosure of serious law enforcement disciplinary violations, according to a Tuesday news release.

In a letter addressed to all Bergen County law enforcement executives, officers-in-charge and the Sheriff, Musella said "current unrest" has brought to light tensions between area law enforcement, and the communities they serve.

"It is therefore an appropriate time for us to reassess our relationships with these communities and the procedures which guide and discipline our profession," he wrote. "This reassessment should make us better law enforcement officers and help to heal some of the divisions in our society."

The directive comes after Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued a similar directive earlier this month.

According to the release from the Prosecutor's Office, Bergen County law enforcement agencies will be required to report the identities of current active duty officers who:

• Were terminated
• Received a reduction in rank or grade
• Were suspension more than five days for a violation involving excessive force to a civilian
• Received a race or bias motivated violation
• Were punished for conduct that resulted in criminal charges from January 2000 to Sept. 30, 2020, including driving while intoxicated, domestic violence, theft or filing false reports

According to the release, the directive also lays out additional modifications for internal affairs protocols.

These modifications include:

• Greater transparency and thoroughness in the hiring process of new police officers
• Independent investigations by the prosecutor's office into "well-founded" allegations of criminal violations, excessive force and race or bias motivated behavior by police officers
• Random audits of internal affairs units of county law enforcement agencies to "ensure compliance with Attorney General and Prosecutor Directives" and uniform and thorough procedures
• Training for law enforcement executives on the principles of police discipline to ensure consistency within county police agencies and across the county

In his letter to law enforcement officials, Musella said a bulk of police departments perform internal affairs functions in a "fair and admirable fashion", there is a "wide variation in the quality of the IA function among those agencies."

According to the letter, this directive is only an initial step, and other actions, such as mandating formal standard operating procedures for all Bergen County police agencies and more diverse police training, are being considered.

Since George Floyd died with a Minneapolis Police Officer's knee on his neck, calls for police reform have swept the nation, with some calling for the defunding of police departments.

Musella didn't respond to those calls directly, but stated his belief that law enforcement agencies, and their employees, are still important to American communities.

"Their promotions, commendations, heroism and everyday aid and support rendered to our communities should also be publicized, so that the public is fully informed of how vital law enforcement is to the safety, security and well-being of all of our residents," he said.