Former NJ State Trooper With Racist Tattoos Won't Be Rehired, Appeals Court Rules

A former New Jersey state trooper who was fired following an investigation into misconduct and his potential ties to white-supremacist movements recently lost an appeal to return to the agency, according to court documents.

Jason Dare came under fire in March 2023, when a photo revealed a neck tattoo with a phrase reminiscent of the Hitler youth movement's slogan. That month, New Jersey State Police opened an internal investigation into Dare, which the state attorney general's office later took over.

Dare was fired in November 2023 for several incidents of "questionable conduct," officials said. Investigators substantiated charges for conflicts of interest and inappropriate social media posts related to his visible tattoos associated with groups espousing racist ideology, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

In his appeal filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Dare's attorneys claimed he was entitled to a full evidentiary hearing in court, partially because he was unable to attend a state-mandated hearing regarding his employment because he was in a mental health facility at the time.

Dare's attorneys also said there were issues with a “last chance” agreement put in place before his firing. The agreement was made after Dare pleaded guilty to several disciplinary charges and allowed for his termination should any new allegation of misconduct be made against him.

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State police said Dare violated the agreement when he left a mental health facility and failed to notify the agency. He also committed other acts that could have led to criminal charges, including breaking into a home, according to court documents.

An appeals court denied Dare's arguments last week, saying that state police properly enforced the last chance agreement by terminating him. The court also concluded that Dare waived his right to a full evidentiary hearing under the terms of the last chance agreement.

Dare's termination was first revealed in a discipline report from state police, which uncovered his involvement in a series of incidents.

Dare's questionable conduct included going AWOL (absent without official leave), abusing sick leave, disobeying a written order, intentionally making false statements, violating uniform and grooming standards, and improper handling of a firearm, according to the report.

A photo of Dare also revealed a tattoo that reads "Blood Honor" across the front of his neck. "Blood & Honour" was a slogan for the Hitler youth movement, later becoming the name of a "shadowy international coalition of racist skinhead gangs," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Dare also has tattoos of an iron cross and a pitbull — similar to the symbol of a Pennsylvania white-supremacist group — according to POLITICO.

The former detective gained notoriety in March 2023, shortly after he was reported missing from a medical facility in Pennsylvania. Dare had left the facility and never returned.

During the search for Dare, state police shared several photos of him on social media, including one that showed his "Blood Honor" tattoo. The Cumberland County resident was found days later, but the tattoo revelation prompted speculation about Dare's potential connections to hateful movements.

Members of the New Jersey State Police cannot have visible neck tattoos, per the agency's uniform and grooming standards.

Dare became a state trooper in 2004.

Until 2022, New Jersey was one of only a few states without a uniform, statewide system for licensing officers. But a state law passed that summer established such measures, which included a Police Training Commission that could decertify officers for active membership in hate groups, among other reasons.

It's unclear whether Dare was part of any groups prohibited under the 2022 law. But Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said the licensing process will help in keeping officers accountable.

"The vast majority of law enforcement officers work hard to build and nurture trust with the communities we serve," Platkin said via a spokesperson. "When members of law enforcement are perceived to be associated with groups espousing hate or discrimination, it destroys that trust and jeopardizes the safety of our residents and officers."

For the past few years, law enforcement agencies in New Jersey have been required to disclose whether any of their officers faced "major discipline", which includes terminations, demotions in rank or suspensions of more than five days. The information had previously been shielded from public record.