Hundreds of police departments around New Jersey collectively paid more than $1 million to a controversial police training program the state attorney general later ordered officers to avoid because it promoted unconstitutional tactics, according to a new investigation.

The investigation by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller says officers from 377 police departments signed up for training by the private company called Street Cop on taxpayer’s dime between January 2019 and March 2023.

Street Cop was founded in 2012 by former Woodbridge police officer Dennis Benigno and came under fire in December 2023 from the state comptroller for allegedly using racist and misogynist language in its classes and encouraging aggressive behavior by police.

Following the comptroller’s first report, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin issued a directive ordering any police officers who had gone through the Street Cop program to be retrained, and barred officers from attending any future Street Cop trainings or conferences. According to the new report, at least 20 officers from New Jersey ignored that directive and registered for Street Cop’s 2024 conference in Florida.

An attorney for Street Cop criticized the comptroller’s office for being “fixated” on the company and driving it to bankruptcy. The attorney general’s office says the state’s Division on Civil Rights is reviewing the new findings.