DOJ says Trenton police violate civil rights, engage in unconstitutional conduct
In a report released Thursday, Nov.
In a report released Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, officials with the Federal Department of Justice have found that the Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton, New Jersey “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it was investigating the Trenton Police Department last year, due to “use of force and its stops, searches and arrests.”
The report also includes recommendations for how these issues can be addressed and, officials with the city and the police force have stated that they will work with the department to implement them, federal officials said.
“Police officers must respect people’s civil and constitutional rights and treat people with dignity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement on the report. “After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Trenton routinely failed to respect the Fourth Amendment rights of those who call Trenton home. Trenton police stop and search pedestrians and motorists without a legal basis, make illegal arrests and use excessive force without basis.”
Specifically, the Justice Department report claims that federal officials found that police officers in Trenton, NJ, unlawfully uses excessive force, including unreasonable forms of physical force and pepper spray in the absence of any significant resistance or danger.
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