Information detailing major disciplinary actions taken by New Jersey law enforcement agencies against officers in 2024 was released today by the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Justice Data (OJD).
Available on the Attorney General’s website, the major discipline report, major discipline dashboard, and the internal affairs dashboard have been updated with 2024 information, consistent with Attorney General directives. The disclosures provide data regarding officers who were suspended for more than five days, demoted, or terminated last year, along with data on officers found guilty of certain internal affairs violations.
“The vast majority of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers show up to work each day and risk their own safety to help and protect others and to serve their communities. They conduct themselves with honor and courage in the face of trying circumstances and dangerous situations. Publicly releasing this data about the handling of disciplinary matters helps maintain the public’s trust in those dedicated, hardworking men and women of law enforcement,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “My office is committed to improving transparency and building confidence in government, and providing this data is part of that mission.”
According to that data, in the 2024 reporting year there were 644 major discipline actions taken by 172 agencies against 543 officers. The most frequently occurring offense, as indicated in the summaries submitted by the agencies, were related to attendance, including lateness and call-outs too close to the start of a shift.
Pending cases are not included. The list only includes completed cases with sustained charges resulting in final sanctions, or plea agreements which are not pending any potential appeals as of December 31, 2024.
Also released today, the 2024 summary of all reported Internal Affairs cases is available online. This information includes the number of internal affairs cases, the number of officers cited in an internal affairs investigation and outcomes for cases closed. For 2024, law enforcement agencies reported opening more than 15,000 internal affairs investigations involving approximately 8,800 unique law enforcement officers across New Jersey. One-third of all closed investigations resulted in a sustained finding, most frequently resulting in oral or written reprimands.
The sharing of this information is part of efforts by the Attorney General’s Office to increase access to information on police discipline and use of force. It is being provided in accordance with AG Directive 2021-6, issued in June 2021 in response to a state Supreme Court decision that year authorizing its public release.
Under that directive and the NJ Internal Affairs Policies & Procedures, all New Jersey law enforcement agencies annually submit major discipline reporting forms to the Attorney General’s Office indicating which officers faced “major discipline” and giving a brief synopsis of the conduct leading to the disciplinary action.
In November 2022, a subsequent directive, AG Directive 2022-14, expanded the list of infractions considered to be major discipline. That list now includes, among other things, discriminatory conduct, filing a false report, intentionally performing an improper search, applying excessive force, being untruthful, intentionally mishandling or destroying evidence, and committing domestic violence. The expanded reporting categories also include officers charged with an indictable crime, and officers who departed from the agency while any internal affairs matter was pending where the ultimate outcome of the investigation would have required reporting.
Additionally, AG Directive 2022-14 requires that the conduct summaries that are provided as part of the major discipline disclosures include sufficient detail to enable a reader who is unfamiliar with the case to fully understand the factual scenario that resulted in the disciplinary action. While AG Directive 2022-14 was issued in 2022, the increased reporting requirements took effect on January 1, 2023, resulting in an increase in reports compared to previous years.
