Landmark Newark Police Consent Decree Dismissed, Feds Cite 'Tremendous Improvements'

NEWARK, NJ — A federal court has pulled the plug on a landmark consent decree with the Newark Police Department, with officials saying that the city has made “tremendous improvements” since the agreement was reached nine years ago.

On Friday, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey terminated the consent decree in United States v. City of Newark – officially ending a police reform effort that has been taking place for nearly a decade.

In 2016, federal authorities and the City of Newark reached a settlement involving longstanding allegations that the Newark Police Department “eroded public confidence” by unconstitutionally harassing minority residents, particularly African-Americans.

The Justice Department found that Newark’s police officers had no legal basis for 75 percent of their pedestrian stops from 2009 to 2012, which were used disproportionately against Black people. In addition, Newark police had allegedly been detaining innocent people for acts like “milling,” “loitering” or “wandering.”

As part of the consent decree, Newark agreed to make a sweeping series of reforms to its police department, including changes to training, use-of-force policies, community outreach and disciplinary procedures.

• See Related: Newark Will Take $12M From Police, Reinvest In Social Services
• See Related: Newark Now Requires Most Plainclothes Cops To Wear Body Cameras
• See Related: Newark Police Sees Less Citizen Complaints 1 Year After Civil Rights Settlement

The consent decree is now over, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last week, noting that the Justice Department supported the city’s motion to dismiss the order.

“Over the last decade, the Newark Police Division has made tremendous improvements to ensure constitutional policing and to increase community trust,” Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba said.

“The men and women of NPD should be proud of what they accomplished, and we appreciate the hard work they do every day to keep the people of Newark safe,” Habba said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda also applauded the court’s decision.

“The most gratifying aspect of this termination decision is that the City of Newark and the Newark Police Division reached this incredible milestone on our own merits,” Baraka and Miranda said.

“As Judge Cox Arleo acknowledged in her termination letter, the independent monitor’s final report clearly verified our substantial and sustained compliance with the core provisions of the consent decree,” they added.

Baraka and Miranda said that Arleo also mentioned several other benchmarks the city has reached over the past decade:

• Revised policies including those addressing arrests, stops, and searches
• The Newark Police Division’s First Amendment Policy, addressing the role of police when community members record them on a cell phone
• The NPD’s “nearly first-in-the-nation” bias-free policing policy
• Implementing its first-ever community policing policy, including a policy to improve officers’ interactions with members of the LGBTQ community
• Focusing on residents’ mental health and solidifying its readiness for crisis intervention
• The establishment of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery

Last week’s court decision also got a round of applause from the New Jersey Institute For Social Justice, a nonprofit that has served as a member of the independent monitoring team overseeing the consent decree since 2016.

“Looking back over the last nine years, it is gratifying to see that the consent decree has been a springboard for change,” said Surraya Johnson, director of the nonprofit’s Criminal Justice Reform Program.

“Still, while the consent decree is coming to an end, the work is not,” Johnson added. “Achieving a healthy and racially just relationship between a police force and the people is an ongoing and ever-dynamic process.”

“It is now up to City of Newark and its people to continue the process of dialogue, trust-building and reform,” Johnson said.

• See Related: Newark Can’t Sidestep Unions As It Reforms Its Police Department, Court Rules

While the consent decree was reached in 2016, community organizing on the issue has been taking place for decades, said the group’s president and CEO, Ryan Haygood.

“This work is directly responsive to the community’s call for change dating back to the Newark Rebellion, and it’s been an honor to be part of this meaningful transformation,” Haygood said.

• See Related: Obama Praises Newark's Efforts To Stop Violence By Boosting Its Youth
• See Related: Violent Crime Ticks Up In Newark – But Is Still Lower Than Past Decades

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.