OSC's Oversight of the New Jersey State Police and the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards
The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) spent a decade under federal oversight, due to allegations of racial profiling.
To ensure NJSP continued to comply with the reforms adopted under the Consent Decree, the Legislature passed the Law Enforcement Professional Standards Act of 2009 and established the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards (OLEPS) within the Attorney General's Office. Since then, the Office of the State Comptroller has been charged with annually reviewing New Jersey State Police and OLEPS to assess their adherence to the law.
READ THE 2024 REPORT.
How New Jersey State Police Failed to Comply with Key Reforms, and Oversight Was Ineffective
For years, NJSP leaders were aware of internal data-driven analyses that showed adverse treatment of racial and ethnic minority motorists, yet the leaders took no action, OSC's 2024 report finds.
The Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards, part of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, exercised weak oversight.
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By law, OSC is required to conduct audits and performance reviews of the State Police and OLEPS, and both agencies are directed to provide OSC with the "information, resources, and other assistance deemed necessary by the State Comptroller." (N.J.S.A. 52:17B-236)
Recent OSC Reviews of NJSP (2020-2022)
OSC's 2022 report found that New Jersey State Police troopers with disciplinary histories—including those suspended for driving while intoxicated, assault, and falsifying reports—served as trooper coaches and temporary instructors. Further, OSC found State Police trainers drastically reduced mandated lessons on the use of force and racial profiling.
OSC's 2021 report found that the New Jersey State Police closed some racial profiling and disparate treatment complaints without adequately investigating. OSC also found that OLEPS never examined whether a trooper’s gender, race, or rank affected how a trooper was disciplined.
OSC's 2020 report found that the New Jersey State Police failed to memorialize its responses to OLEPS about data that suggested racial profiling could be occurring. NJSP also ignored OLEPS's repeated recommendations on how it should improve its data analysis.
Key Dates
1999: New Jersey enters into Consent Decree. Independent federal monitors issues reports from 2000-2009.
2009: Decree ends. Reforms codified in the Law Enforcement Professional Standards Act (LEPSA). OSC is required to conduct annual reviews.
2010: OSC publishes its first review of New Jersey State Police and the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards.
2022: OSC launches Police Accountability Project to examine fraud, waste, and abuse in state and local law enforcement agencies.
2023: The Attorney General releases an independent data analysis finding strong evidence of disparity in NJSP's treatment of minority motorists from 2009-2021.
OSC Oversight of Law Enforcement Across New Jersey
OSC's Police Accountability Project
Launched in 2022, the Police Accountability Project serves as an independent and objective check on both state and local law enforcement, adding a layer of transparency and accountability, and identifying any gaps in oversight so that they can be remedied.