NEWARK -- Newark Communities for Accountable Policing (N-CAP) praised the Civilian Complaint Review Board established by the executive order of Mayor Ras Baraka today, citing it as one of the most progressive civilian police review boards in the nation and calling it a critical step in creating a transparent and accountable Newark Police Department.
The review board, as established by the executive order, empowers an 11-member panel to review complaints against the city’s police department, and provides the panel with subpoena power, the power to audit police policies and practices, and the authority to make sure discipline sticks when officers are found to have engaged in wrongdoing.
Members of the N-CAP steering committee enthusiastically endorsed the mayor’s actions, and called for Newarkers across the City to push to make sure the CCRB is codified in Newark law to outlast any one mayoral administration.
“As communities across the United States struggle with the daily injustices of police misconduct, Newark’s CCRB will prove to be a national model for creating strong and independent civilian oversight of the police,” said Udi Ofer, executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. “We commend Mayor Baraka for working to transform the Newark Police Department and to make police accountability a reality in Newark. We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Baraka and the municipal council to ensure that the CCRB has the resources it needs to succeed and that this institution of accountability lasts for generations to come.”
Newark communities have been calling for the creation of a civilian review board in Newark since clashes between police and residents of Newark during the 1960s. Today’s announcement is a realization of that decades-long struggle for accountability and justice.
“Today, history is being made. For far too long, the voices crying out for justice in Newark have not been heard,” said Lawrence Hamm, Chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress. “We will continue to work to ensure that this civilian review board is strong and independent, and holds the Newark Police Department to the highest standards of professionalism.”
As outlined in the executive order, the Civilian Complaint Review Board will be invested with much-needed authority, including the power to:
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Investigate complaints of police misconduct. The board will be empowered, with subpoena authority, to investigate civilian complaints about NPD officers’ improper use force; unlawful searches, stops, and arrests; and even discourteous treatment, such as cursing or slurs relating to race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, and other protected categories.
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Ensure that disciplinary decisions stick. Only a “clear error” in the board’s investigation will allow the Police Director to reject a finding of fact from the board. The Police Director will retain ultimate disciplinary authority on the actions taken against an officer found to have committed wrongdoing, using a discipline matrix developed by the director and police unions, in consultation with the board.
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Audit the department’s policies and practices, including investigations of patterns that reveal racial disparities in enforcement of laws, or any other issue of public safety or police-community relations
The N-CAP steering committee also called on the city to provide the necessary financial support for the board by creating a dedicated budget line in the city budget that will grow along with the police department and will provide adequate funding beyond the $500,000 set aside for start-up costs.
“Today marks a new chapter in Newark’s history, as we seek to move past decades of mistrust and tension between Newark residents and law enforcement,” said Milly Silva, executive vice president of 1199SEIU. “Thanks to Mayor Baraka’s leadership, Newark has become the national model for how a city can promote a culture of community involvement to confront deep-rooted problems. We are eager to continue working with city leadership to end unconstitutional policing on our streets and protect the civil rights and safety of all Newarkers.”
The board will be comprised of 11 members. The city’s Inspector General and three city council members will serve on the board, as well as seven board members recommended to the board by community-based organizations, including the ACLU of New Jersey, People’s Organization for Progress, Ironbound Community Corporation, NAACP New Jersey, Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, La Casa de Don Pedro and a representative of the clergy. Five out of the seven community-based organizations listed in the executive order are steering committee members or endorsing members of N-CAP. “Public safety is a civil right,” said Melvin Warren, Criminal Justice Chair of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference.
“We are encouraged by this important step in addressing the challenge of building trust between the community and law enforcement. Establishing a well-crafted review mechanism will help to ensure fair and effective policing for the people of Newark. With this effort, Newark has an opportunity to serve as a model for community-responsive policing throughout New Jersey and the nation,” said Ryan P. Haygood, the President & CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
In addition to the investigatory powers, the executive order also creates an obligation for the board to conduct public meetings, publish public reports on its work, including the type and disposition of the complaints it receives, as well as make public robust data about policing practices in Newark, including stop-and frisk activity, arrest activity, use of force activity, and information about money paid by the NPD to in judgements or settlements of lawsuits filed against the department for civil rights violations.
“This is great day for our beloved City of Newark,” said Rick Robinson of the NAACP-Newark, NJ Branch. “Newark’s Mayor, Ras J. Baraka and Newark’s Police Director, Eugene Venable, deserve a tremendous amount of credit for demonstrating strong leadership and embracing the concept of fundamental fairness that will prove to be meaningful in the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The NAACP-NNJB believes that Newark residents will now have much-needed components, including accountability and transparency, to examine complaints of misconduct behavior by the Newark Police Department.”
"Garden State Equality feels strongly that police accountability is an LGBT issue, and we're proud to see this advance for justice. Kudos to all the generations of activism that made this possible," said Andrea Bowen, executive director of Garden State Equality.
Newark Communities for Accountable Policing is a movement to build a respectful, accountable and transparent Newark Police Department. Steering Committee members include: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, Ironbound Community Corporation, Garden State Equality, NAACP New Jersey State Conference, Newark NAACP, New Jersey Communities United, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Newark LGBTQ Community Center, and People’s Organization for Progress.
