By Claire Drewniak
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal introduced statewide guidelines Monday for how law enforcement officers use force in making arrests.
The “Excellence in Policing Initiative” calls for new police training courses and standardized online incident reporting to go with a revised use-of-force protocol. These steps will be implemented throughout 2021, Grewal said during a virtual briefing.
“By the end of next year, all of our officers will go through a multi-day, immersive training program on de-escalation, on effective officer intervention to prevent improper uses of force, and on other tactics, all designed to reduce police uses of force,” Grewal said.
These changes come in the wake of widespread protests after the killing of George Floyd, an African American, at the hands of police in Minnesota in May.
All incidents of force in New Jersey will be reported and investigated more thoroughly, said the attorney general, who seeks to chip away at disparities in policing of black and brown communities, compared with white communities.
The policy outlines measures for de-escalating situations of citizen resistance, mandating conflict resolution tactics before exerting forceful methods of restraint. All forms of deadly force against civilians are prohibited except as a last resort.
“Policy always required that force be used as a last resort, and that it be reasonable and necessary, but it didn’t really provide much specific guidance beyond that,” said Tom Eicher, director of the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
Participants in Monday’s webinar included Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, president of the Sheriffs’ Association of New Jersey.
“New Jersey law enforcement has a long history of working to better serve the citizenry by regularly improving operations and procedures,” Gannon said.
“My colleagues in the Sheriffs Association of New Jersey and our partners in the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police continue to impress me with their eagerness to find better ways to do a very difficult job,” the sheriff said.
Law enforcement is a dangerous profession, Gannon emphasized, citing statistics from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial indicating line of duty deaths are up 56 percent this year.
“The officers need and deserve your support, and your respect,” Gannon said.
New policies alone won’t change practices ingrained in law enforcement culture for decades, Grewal said. Training is essential, in his view.
A new use-of-force web portal is meant to standardize reporting of vehicle pursuits, passive resistance, active resistance, and active threats, among other things.
The TASER and BOLAWRAP are two less than lethal alternatives that police departments should consider in this new protocol.