The Department of Justice probe against the Newark police department has forced it to change its approach to a more community-based one. The police department has been accused of using excessive force and making inappropriate street stops in the city which in turn affects the minorities.
According to WPTZ, U.S attorney Paul Fishman said the police department together with the people of the city has suffered dramatically from the combination of those practices. He now recommends to the judge that Attorney general Peter Harvey will be assigned to monitor the department for five years.
The new settlement will now require Newark police to revise the rules and to train regarding the use of force in stops and searches. All these changes should be approved by the judge which includes the installment of cameras on officers as well as their vehicles, improve training, and changing the department policies in search and seizure practices as reported by the New York Times.
Fishman reiterated that this restructuring will serve as a guide in the reform of Newark City and it will be the model for best police practices all over the country. The 2014 report of the Department of Justice solidified the allegations made by the American Civil Liberties Union with regards to the rampant misconduct of police officers as well as the excessive use of force as per ABC News.
The reform will now require all officers to undergo an eight-hour training regarding bias-free policing for six months and four hours thereafter. The department will also have the authority to track and analyze the interactions of police officers with the citizens and note the race, age and ethnicity of the person.
Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark was not happy with the $7.5 million cost of the monitoring but said that some of the money will be gathered from legal cases and complaints filed against police officers. Udi Ofer, the director of ACLU New Jersey welcomed the development, saying it is a historic moment in the long struggle for a fair, just and accountable police department in the city.
