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Ex-Obama prosecutor probes racial bias claims in blue state police departments

by Tim McBride
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New Jersey State Police Face Special Counsel Investigation Amid Racial Profiling Accusations

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The New Jersey State Police are facing a special counsel investigation from the state attorney general’s office, amid accusations of racial profiling and a sharp decline in traffic stops that coincided with a rise in crashes, some of which were fatal.

According to a report from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, state troopers were accused of profiling minority drivers in traffic stops between 2009 and 2021. The report found that more than 60% of the people pulled over were White drivers, while just under 19% were Black and around 13.5% were Hispanic.

The union representing the state police told troopers that every stop they made would be under scrutiny, leading to a significant decline in traffic stops. However, this decline coincided with an 18% increase in crashes, some of which were fatal.

Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, argued that enforcing traffic laws is crucial to reducing crashes and that the decline in traffic stops was a result of the union’s directive to troopers. She also downplayed concerns of profiling, stating that radar technology does not have a race setting.

The special counsel investigation, led by Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, is aimed at determining how the alleged slowdown in traffic enforcement was orchestrated and ensuring accountability.

The investigation has sparked concerns among advocates who see it as an anti-police campaign. Brantner Smith likened the state reports and investigations to a backdoor campaign against police, stating that the public knows that police have been “cut off at the knees” and that the investigation is a way to defund the police without saying so publicly.

Despite the pressure campaign, Brantner Smith believes that criminal charges against state police as a result of the special counsel investigation seem unlikely, given the Supreme Court’s rulings on police responsibility.

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