The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is launching a civil rights investigation into the Trenton, N.J. police department after complaints emerged claiming that the law enforcement agency has conducted warrantless searches, unnecessarily used force against people and escalated interactions with residents suffering from mental health conditions.
Kristen Clark, assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the DOJ announced the probe in a news conference Tuesday. She said the agency is seeking to determine if the police department has a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law.
The DOJ uses the term “pattern or practice” in civil investigations relating to trends of excessive force or problematic behavior exhibited by police departments in order to find if there is a pattern of such conduct.
Specifically, the probe will find if the department uses excessive force and unlawfully stops, searches and arrests people traveling on foot or by car, according to a news release.
Clark said the decision to open the investigation was based on a review of court records, media reports, statistical data, body-worn camera footage and additional information.
She said some of the problematic incidents involved officials using force against individuals suspected of minor traffic offenses who complied with officers’ demands without resisting or being restrained.
Other behavior being investigated by the DOJ includes officers using force against people for openly questioning police and observing law enforcement activity, both of which are constitutional rights.
At times, the DOJ claims that officers also stopped pedestrians and vehicles to conduct warrantless searches or arrests that did not have a legal basis.
The DOJ added that some of those incidents left the individuals involved with serious injuries. Reckon has reached out to the city of Trenton for comment.
“These allegations are serious and credible,” Clark said. “The…
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