New Jersey Citizens Demands Accountability and Public Safety. Vote YES on Civilian Review Boards!

Tell New Jersey Leaders to Vote YES for Civilian Review Boards

Roughly 1,141 people in the United States have been killed by police officers, according to estimates compiled by the Mapping Police Violence project.

These slain individuals included people of ages ranging from children to senior citizens, and differing races and cultures. African American men are 2.9 times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts, Latino men also have a higher risk of being killed by police than white men. Moreover, women and men of African American, American Indian, and Alaska Native heritage are more likely to be murdered by police than white women.

The total number of civilian deaths in encounters with police in New Jersey this year — including pursuits and deaths in custody or in the presence of police — stands at 17 to date, one less than in all of 2021 and 2022 and the same number as in 2020, the largest number since the state began investigating all deaths involving police in 2019.

These are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters whose lives are forever lost and whose loved ones are left in the wake of a tragedy that should have never happened.

The establishment of Civilian Complaint Review Boards would strengthen and maintain community and police relations that reflect a safe and fair approach to policing.

Police Accountability Saves Lives

Let New Jersey Legislators know that Police Accountability and Community Safety go Hand in Hand! Vote YES for Civilian Review Boards.

Dear New Jersey Legislators,

We call upon you to vote YES for Civilian Complaint Review Boards (CCRB) legislation (A1515/S2295).

Across New Jersey, communities have long called for civilian complaint review boards and have held rallies and press conferences in support of civilian review boards in urban, suburban, and rural and even shore towns. This is in part that for too long communities and residents have been in the extreme fight to eliminate implicit bias and unfair police practices. The time is now for accountability, and we must create and maintain community and police relations that reflect a safe and fair approach to policing, and this legislation would provide a significant tool to move forward in ensuring safety and protection for all of our residents.

A1515/S2295 gives communities throughout the state of New Jersey the authority to put in place strong community boards to review the policies, practices, and actions of local police departments and officers.

To be effective, civilian complaint review boards (CCRBs), made up of community members, must have the legal authority to oversee law enforcement agencies and the power to:

Conduct independent and concurrent investigations of wrongdoing by officers
Issue subpoenas
Make recommendations that stick for discipline when officers are accused of misconduct

Newark’s CCRB has stood as a national model since its creation in 2015 for providing the most comprehensive, meaningful checks on law enforcement. Unfortunately, a court challenge brought by the police lobby stripped some of the board’s powers that are fundamental to functional civilian complaint review boards.

The New Jersey Supreme Court recognized the essential value of community oversight, but ruled that legislation was needed for communities to have all the tools necessary to provide it. That’s why we must pass A1515 into law.

A1515 empowers all municipalities across the state to create civilian oversight bodies of their own with meaningful oversight authority.

Police who use excessive force must be held accountable for their actions, as was done after the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, New Jersey’s own Maurice Gordon and countless others.

We ask that you vote yes to (A1515/S2295) to ensure accountability, fairness and transparency as we strive for the protection and safety of all New Jersey residents.

Sincerely,

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