West Orange Police Saw No ‘Major Discipline’ Cases In 2022: Report

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Police Department didn't see any "major discipline" cases in 2022, according to a new report.

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office released its third-ever Major Discipline Report, which lists details for hundreds of police officers in the state. This year’s report covers the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

According to the attorney general’s office, “major discipline” is defined as terminations, reductions in rank, or suspension of more than five days.

Police departments in Essex County that didn’t see any major discipline cases last year include Caldwell, Cedar Grove, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County College Police Department, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, the Montclair State University Police Department, North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, South Orange, Verona and West Orange.

Statewide, the attorney general’s office said that the most frequently occurring offenses in 2022 were related to attendance, including lateness and call-outs too close to the start of a shift.

Descriptions mentioning a “use of force-related violation” accounted for about four percent of all major disciplinary actions across the state in 2022, prosecutors said.

AG DIRECTIVES: A BRIEF BACKGROUND

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office provided some background about the annual report and why it was created:

“The release is part of the ongoing effort by the Attorney General’s Office to increase public access to information about police discipline and use of force. It is being provided in accordance with Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2021-6, issued in June 2021 in response to a New Jersey Supreme Court decision that year authorizing the public release of certain police disciplinary information. Under the directive, all New Jersey law enforcement agencies must submit on an annual basis major discipline reporting forms to the Attorney General’s Office containing the names of officers subjected to ‘major discipline’ along with a brief synopsis of the conduct that led to the penalties. The information is also published on the individual agencies’ websites.

Prosecutors noted that AG Directive 2022-14, issued in November 2022, expanded the list of infractions that would be considered major discipline to include among other things: discriminatory conduct, filing a false report, and intentionally performing an improper search.

However, the directive was not in effect for this reporting period, and as such, those violations are not listed in this year’s release. The first year of data under that new directive will be released in 2024, covering the 2023 calendar year, prosecutors said.

Pending cases are not included in the data. Only sustained charges resulting in final sanctions or plea agreements are listed by the submissions, prosecutors said.

“We know that achieving greater public safety in New Jersey requires greater public trust,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

“This enhanced level of transparency builds upon the work of the directive I issued in November of last year, and compliments the police licensing bill supported by my office and law enforcement leadership statewide, passed by the legislature, and signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy,” Platkin said.

“By embracing greater transparency, the vast majority of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers who serve with honor, professionalism, and courage, are better able to carry out their duties more effectively and safely in service to the people of our state,” Platkin said.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.