Bergen County Prosecutor Nominated For Attorney General

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Gurbir S. Grewal, Bergen County's prosecutor who has waged a war against opioid painkillers and heroin, was nominated to be state attorney general under Governor Phil Murphy when he takes office next month.

Grewal, a Democrat and Glen Rock native, was sworn in as prosecutor and assistant attorney general in January. Governor Christie nominated him to succeed John Molinelli as the county's highest law enforcement officer in 2014, but the state Senate never scheduled a hearing on the appointment.

It is Murphy's first cabinet appointment.

“New Jersey needs an Attorney General with a steel backbone, one that will stand up for New Jersey against everything coming our way from Washington,” Governor-elect Murphy said in a statement. “Whether it be addressing our opioid epidemic head-on with compassion and persistence, fighting to protect New Jerseyans’ health care against the constant threats from Washington, standing up for DREAMers and our LGBT community, or defending New Jersey’s common-sense gun laws, there will be no more critical post in my administration than Attorney General. For these reasons and many more, I am incredibly proud to announce my nomination of Gurbir Grewal as Attorney General.”

If confirmed, Grewal would be the first Sikh-American to serve as Attorney General in the history of the United States.

“I am honored to be nominated by Governor-elect Murphy to serve as Attorney General,” Grewal said in a statement. “All my life, I’ve shared Governor-elect Murphy’s goal of building a fairer New Jersey. To me, that means protecting the rights of every resident under the law, and defending the values of our diverse communities. I look forward to helping Governor-elect Murphy make his vision for New Jersey a reality.”

Grewal has served as Bergen County's chief law enforcement officer since his appointment as acting prosecutor in January 2016.

Grewal was chief of the New Jersey District's Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office before taking over for Molinelli. He received his Juris Doctorate from The College of William and Mary in 1999.

Grewal has made it a priority to address the opioid and heroin crisis in Bergen County. His office created the Heroin Addiction Recovery Team. The team is a group of people from the Mahwah, Lyndhurst and Paramus Police departments. Users can go to those police stations and turn in substances without fear of being prosecuted and get the help they need through addiction recovery. Dozens of people have taken advantage of the program.

Local representatives applauded the nomination.

Bergen County Freeholder Chairwoman Tracy Zur, said Grewal "has shown that one can be understanding and compassionate while still having a steadfast commitment to the law — one of many factors which make him uniquely qualified to serve as our state’s top law enforcement officer."

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco agreed.

"As the chief law enforcement officer of the most populous county in New Jersey, Prosecutor Grewal has been steadfast, thoughtful, and compassionate in his pursuit of justice for the people of Bergen County," Tedesco said. "I have been grateful for his partnership on behalf of the citizens we serve, especially in our joint effort to address the opioid epidemic."

Related: Bergen Law Enforcement Officials Gaining Momentum Against Heroin, Opioids
Related: Prosecutor Using Social Media To Highlight Heroin Epidemic In Bergen County

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Photo: Gurbir S. Grewal/LinkedIn