A judge in Newark today ordered The city's Civil Complaint Review Board to disband their right to subpoena and have investigatory power on police conduct raised by citizen complaints.
Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement released this afternoon ,“the decision of Judge Donald Kessler of the Essex County Superior Court today weakening Newark’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and is a setback to criminal justice reform in America and to the critical need for citizens to have complete trust that incidents of police misconduct will be dealt with fairly, appropriately and impartially".
According to Mayor Baraka, the court ruled that Newark's CCRB may have oversight power but not subpoena or investigatory power.
"For now, our CCRB will continue to move forward using its power of oversight, but Newark will appeal the court’s decision", Mayor Baraka said.