The U.S. Department of Justice has found a pattern of misconduct within the Trenton Police Department, according to a newly released report.
The results of a yearlong investigation into the department were announced Thursday during a news conference by U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip Sellinger and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Sellinger said the investigation found a pattern of unlawful excessive force when officers faced little or no danger as well as deficiencies in training, supervision and policy. In the 42-page report, Sellinger cites examples of officers escalating encounters, including a 2023 stop when officers stomped on a man’s head multiple times, kneeled on his head and kicked him in the shoulder after the man was arrested using reasonable force.
According to the report, the investigation found a pattern of officers stopping and arresting pedestrians without probable cause.
Sellinger recommended more than two dozen changes within the department, including improving use-of-force policies, requiring all stops to be recorded on body-worn cameras, addressing outstanding misconduct complaints and implementing de-escalation training.
In a statement released Thursday, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said he had worked to ensure that the city cooperated with the U.S. Department of Justice and plans to continue that cooperation to implement the report’s recommendations.
“All residents of the City of Trenton, and the thousands of people who come here to work and visit on a daily basis, want and deserve a police department which keeps them safe while upholding the rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution,” Gusciora said in his statement. “Trust within the community is absolutely critical to the mission of the TPD, and the members of the TPD must work at building and rebuilding that trust every day.”
