The New Jersey Supreme Court gave the green light on Monday for new state directives to release the names of police officers who were disciplined for misconduct (article available here).
“The Directives are designed to enhance public trust and confidence in law enforcement, to deter misconduct, to improve transparency and accountability in the disciplinary process, and to identify repeat offenders who may try to move from one sensitive position to another,” New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote. “In short, the Directives are consistent with legislative policies and rest on a reasonable basis.”
Spurred into action following massive protests over the police killing of George Floyd last spring in Minneapolis, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal adopted the directives almost a year ago exactly as a tactic to have more transparency and accountability in law enforcement.
“The directives implement a practice that is common in other professions. When doctors, lawyers, judges, and other professionals are disciplined for misconduct, their names are made public,” the 60-page ruling states.