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Public Invited to Virtual Town Hall on the Use of Force

 Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, is inviting the public to participate in a virtual town hall to discuss New Jersey’s Use of Force Policy.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, those of us in law enforcement have a duty to ensure transparency and accountability.  

We cannot build and sustain a bond with our community partners if members of the community believe they cannot trust the police.

This virtual town hall is an opportunity to let members of the public know more about when the use of force is appropriate and how it should be used. We also want feedback from those we serve,’’ said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Stephens.

The virtual town hall comes amid a string of troubling incidents nationwide but is part of New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal’s 21 County/21st Century Community Policing Project, designed to build trust between the police and the communities they serve. 

The meeting will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, May 11 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. (See attached flyer for Zoom information) It is one of a series of community meetings held regularly in Essex County as part of the Attorney General’s Excellence in Policing Initiative, a comprehensive package of policy initiatives designed to promote professionalism,accountability, and transparency in policing. 

In June 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Attorney General Grewal announced that his office would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the current Use of Force Policy, which had not been updated in 20 years. 

The virtual town hall meeting sponsored by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office will provide an opportunity to hear from the community and to respond to questions and concerns. 

Members of law enforcement, community leaders, clergy and others have been invited to participate.

The Use of Force Policy governs all 38,000 of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers.

It is built on seven core principles. They are as follows:

 

The Sanctity of Human Life: Officers must make every effort to preserve and protect human life and the safety of all persons; respect and uphold the dignity of all persons at all times; and never deploy force in a discriminatory manner. 

De-Escalation & Force as a Last Resort: Officers must utilize de-escalation techniques, including the use of verbal commands. Force must only be used as a last resort and only when necessary to accomplish lawful objectives, when other steps cannot achieve such objectives. Force must never be used as a retaliatory or punitive measure. 

Reasonable, Necessary, and Proportional Force: In situations where officers are authorized to use force, it requires police officers to use force only as a last resort, and then use only as much force as is necessary and proportional to the threat. 

Deadly Force as a Last Resort: Even where force is authorized, deadly force must only be used as an absolute last resort and in compliance with the strict conditions set forth in the new policy. 

Duty to Intervene: Every officer has an affirmative duty to take steps to prevent illegal or excessive uses of force by other officers and to immediately report any such incidents. 

Duty to Render Medical Assistance: After any use of force, officers must promptly provide medical assistance to any injured person and request emergency medical assistance if needed or requested. Additionally, officers must monitor individuals for potential medical intervention after any officer uses force. 

Duty to Report and Review Uses of Force: Every use of force must be reported using the statewide Use of Force Portal, and all uses of force must undergo a meaningful command level review, including a review by the law enforcement chief executive for compliance with the Policy.

An annual analysis of use of force incidents to identify trends, including racial disparities, must be submitted to the County Prosecutor for review. 

 

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