Written by John Shjarback
Five years have passed since the racial reckoning summer.
George Floyd’s murder captured the nation’s attention and sparked a genuine push for police reform and greater accountability.
A total of 736 legislation, resolutions, and executive orders were introduced in 40 states and Washington, DC, between May 25 and the end of 2020.According to public opinion research conducted in early June, 69% of Americans—including 86% of Democrats, 69% of Independents, and 47% of Republicans—thought that Floyd’s death was not an isolated occurrence but rather reflected a larger issue with law enforcement.
Trump wants us to forget DEI five years after George Floyd was murdered. Don’t allow him.
An opinion from NJ Advance Media: In order to transform grief into change, we must be unrelenting in our advocacy and participation.
Nevertheless, the window of opportunity for change was too short and closed too soon. The nation saw the biggest one-year spike in homicides ever recorded at the end of 2020, up nearly 30% from 2019, as violent crime increased. Public opinion on police reform returned to its pre-Floyd levels, particularly among Republicans and Independents, and public safety became hyperpoliticized once more.
New Jersey made significant progress, many of which were long overdue and desperately needed, even though the federal government was mostly unable to take advantage of the opportunity because of congressional deadlocks. Five years later, the Garden State has seen the following significant changes:
1. In 2022, New Jersey became one of 46 states to establish a licensing structure for issuing and then revoking police officer certifications throughout the state. In connection with this, then-Attorney General Grewal issued an order to facilitate the sharing of officers’ employment records, such as Internal Affairs and other misbehavior files, between departments when lateral transfers are being hired.
Wandering officers, or people who migrate from department to department as a result of terminations and dismissals or being compelled to quit, were permitted to roam freely during the prior gaps. In June 2020, a particularly heinous roaming police was revealed during an unlawful and unprovoked pepper spraying incident in Woodlynne that was captured on tape. After multiple forced resignations and a termination, it was the officer’s eighth department in eight years. Hopefully, these new actions will help to fix some of the system’s structural flaws.
2. All police in New Jersey are now required to complete an innovative training program, which includes the Police Executive Research Forum’s Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) and Georgetown University’s Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE). The goal of the peer intervention program ABLE is to train officers how to effectively intervene on one another’s behalf in order to prevent harm—for example, when there is a risk of using force or engaging in other misconduct—and to foster a more positive workplace culture. ICAT is a form of de-escalation training that combines the practical tactical skills required to manage some situations—specifically, non-firearm threats like a knife or blunt object—without using lethal force with communication skills. These techniques, which effectively buy more time until more specialized resources can get on scene when needed, include slowing down encounters, establishing distance, and taking cover. These tactics have been shown to produce safer outcomes for both police officers and the individuals they are interacting with.Both ABLE and ICAT have been found to be effective in preliminary evaluation study, which is encouraging.
In September 2020, the Camden County Police Department (CCPD), which was among the first to use ICAT in 2016, was able to prevent yet another fatal force incident. Officers from the CCPD spent several minutes interacting with a knife-wielding, uncooperative person who was wanted for sexual assault before using a TASER to safely take him into custody.
3. For the first significant revisions since 2000, New Jersey overhauled and updated the state’s use of force policy. It gives police greater precision in determining when to respond to particular levels of resistance with different types of force. The policy places a strong emphasis on de-escalation, the sacredness of every human life, and the necessity of trying every alternative before resorting to force. Additionally, it forbids officers from employing chokeholds and shooting at moving cars, forces them to step in on behalf of other officers when they witness unlawful or excessive force, and requires them to provide medical assistance to individuals after an event when necessary. The new policy is a nice improvement over the dreadfully out-of-date one that was unclear and vague and gave officers little guidance on what they could and could not do. Some of the additions are evidence-based.
The Attorney General’s sARRIVE Together program, which pairs plainclothes officers trained in crisis intervention team (CIT) techniques with certified mental health professionals to co-respond to 911 calls involving mental or behavioral health crises, and increased transparency through the use of forceonline reporting portals and an annual report of police officers who have committed serious misconduct are among the honorable mentions.
Of course, there’s always space for improvement. Better data sharing on metrics like police vehicle and pedestrian stops and post-stop outcomes for all agencies in the state will undoubtedly assist policymakers, researchers, activists, and the general public. Additionally, there are legitimate worries regarding the Trenton Police Department’s unconstitutional police methods.
In order to enable genuine civilian scrutiny, politicians must also modify state law.
Nonetheless, citizens should be at ease knowing that these modifications, especially in the areas of training and policy, have the potential to raise the standard of law enforcement generally and raise the bar for a more professionalized police force with the necessary equipment and expertise.
