CJ Griffin Quoted on NJ.com Discussing Attorney General’s 2021 Report on Police Discipline
CJ Griffin, partner and director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in the NJ.com article “86 N.J. cops fired, nearly 400 received ‘major discipline’ last year, report shows.” The article discusses the 2021 report issued by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office pursuant to Directives issued in 2020. The article discusses how the report raises more questions.
CJ Griffin, a civil rights attorney and vocal critic of New Jersey’s police internal affairs practices, said departments that use vague descriptions like “rule violations” to explain the discipline to the public aren’t complying with the spirit of the AG directive.
“Every single thing you could do to be punished, from being tardy to work to using excessive force, those are all ‘rules violations,’ Griffin said.
Griffin noted that a bill before the state Legislature (S2656) would put New Jersey in line with many other states, which treat police internal affairs records as public documents. That measure has not received widespread support among New Jersey lawmakers.
“In an ideal world, we should have access to the actual files, so you as a reporter can tell the public what actually transpired,” Griffin said. “Our current status of the law doesn’t allow for that.”
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