NJ Police Internal Affairs Investigations Now Available Online

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey residents seeking information on the discipline of police officers in the state now can search internal affairs investigations in a database created by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

The database pulls together information on the investigations from more than 500 law enforcement agencies around New Jersey into one place, allowing people to see information including how many complaints have been filed, the types of complaints – such as excessive use of force, criminal violations or issues of “demeanor” among others. It includes information on disciplinary actions.

It does not include the names of the officers who were investigated.

"The dashboard … represents an unprecedented and ambitious effort by the Attorney General’s Office to gather de-identified internal affairs information that had been scattered among hundreds of agencies," the attorney general’s office said, "information that had not previously been collected in a uniform way, or shared with the public in a standardized format or central location."

The dashboard – you can see it and search it here – is part of continuing efforts of the attorney general’s office to increase transparency and accountability for law enforcement across New Jersey. The attorney general's office has required agencies to submit information on major discipline handed out to officers and it has required bodyworn cameras for law enforcement officers across the state.

The database includes more than 14,500 records of investigations in 2021, including complaints filed by civilians, law enforcement agencies and some filed anonymously. In some cases, the information included is more limited, with nothing released on whether the complaint was filed by someone within the agency or outside of it.

Of the 11,054 complaints listed with an outcome, 6,110 were filed by citizens and 4,676 were filed by law enforcement agencies. Those outcomes included “exonerated”, “not sustained”, “unfounded”, “administrative closure”, and “sustained”.

The data shows a drastic difference in the outcomes of complaints based on who filed them.

Among citizen complaints, 679 (11 percent) were sustained, while in 1,938 cases the officers were exonerated, according to the data. Among complaints lodged by other law enforcement officers, there were 2,737 sustained (58.5 percent) and 372 were exonerated.

The dashboard includes statistics; it reports 10,750 completed investigations, which averaged 76 days to complete and involved 7,877 officers and 8,745 incidents, meaning some officers accounted for multiple complaints and some incidents included multiple officers.

It also allows you to search by town to see how many internal affairs investigations were opened or completed in 2021, how many officers were disciplined and more. The data will be updated annually, the attorney general's office said.

The publication of the dashboard has been praised by law enforcement from throughout the state.

"The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) stands firmly behind initiatives that promote transparency and build further public confidence in law enforcement," said Thomas Dellane, Stafford Township Police Chief and president of the chiefs association. “A searchable dashboard will further demonstrate how we protect and serve the public each day. We applaud Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin for his latest program to create more accountability, while helping residents better understand how the internal affairs system works and why it is such an important tool in improving policies and procedures.”

“It is a fair and open process where both the public and police officers can see the number of complaints and their outcomes for any police department," Richard Rivera, cofounder of the National Coalition of Latino Officers, said of the database. "This creates additional dialogue on how police police themselves. For too long women and minority officers in New Jersey have claimed disparate or discriminatory practices by internal affairs. Now we get to see the outcome and compare officers in the same department. The portal forces police chiefs and county prosecutors to do a better job of understanding complaint trends and community needs.”

“Last year’s data shows only 35 municipalities out of over 565 in New Jersey that report no issues at all in 2021," said Cuqui Rivera, Criminal Justice Reform Chair of the Latino Action Network. "We need all municipalities to work toward the goal of decreasing internal affairs complaints."

"This tool will help identify the problem areas within police departments statewide," said Bishop Jethro James, president of the Newark-North Jersey Committee of Black Churchmen, calling the dashboard “a much-needed tool. ... It will also identify issues dealing with racial profiling, excessive use of force and lack of sensitivity among all people.”

“We are encouraged to see New Jersey becoming more transparent about law enforcement internal affairs investigations,” said Emily Schwartz, senior counsel in the Criminal Justice Reform Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “We hope the new dashboard will become even more robust and inclusive of additional identifying information.”