NJ State Police Would Separate From Attorney General Under This Bill

A bill calling for the New Jersey State Police to be its own entity is under consideration by New Jersey state lawmakers.

Under the current chain of command, the state attorney general oversees the department. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin leads the Department of Law and Public Safety. Under the new bill, moving the police to a state department means its superintendent will report directly to the governor.

The Superintendent of State Police will be appointed by the governor with advice and consent from the Senate. The individual will be "qualified by training and experience with the Department of State Police or its predecessor, the Division of State Police...and shall serve during the term of office of the Governor appointing (them)...and until the superintendent's successor is appointed and qualifies."

Any changes in personnel within State Police would be at the approval of only the Superintendent of State Police, and not require the say of the acting attorney general.

The superintendent will also retain their role as Director of Emergency Management, now with the title of State Director of Emergency Management. The Office of Emergency Management is currently allocated within the Division of State Police.

The move by lawmakers comes after AG Platkin has been under scrutiny at various points over the last few months, at one point even the subject of a call for impeachment. In February, assembly Republican leaders issued articles claiming that he overstepped his authority and failed to carry out the responsibilities of his role.

The resolution says Platkin "weaponized his position" by authorizing different operations by the Division of Criminal Justice and Office of Public Integrity that obstructed the work and career trajectory of state police employees.

The articles also claim Platkin acted unlawfully by taking over the Paterson Police Department, failed to uphold state statutes in court, and mishandled legal responses to the COVID-19 crisis and a rape accusation involving Governor Murphy’s campaign staffers.

Platkin said the resolution is a "partisan political attack."

In April, acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, announced that she would be looking into Governor Murphy's and Platkin's response to federal immigration enforcement. This, after an order for local and state law enforcement to not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents was issued.

Platkin said at the time, that he has reached out "in multiple ways" to Habba, but she "has not wanted to have a conversation."

The distrust between the federal government and the state precedes Platkin's involvement, however. Under Murphy's governing, former AG Gurbir Grewal had already issued the "Immigrant Trust Directive," which limits cooperation between New Jersey law enforcement and immigration officials.

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