New Jersey will mandate that local police departments publish annual lists of officers who faced serious disciplinary action, making it the latest state to reform law enforcement transparency in the wake of national protests.
Departments will have to report once a year on any officers who were fired, demoted or suspended for more than five days, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a series of tweets. The rules apply at the state, county and local level. (Historically, while discipline lists were released, officers' names were withheld.)
Beyond that, Grewal promised that by July 15, the New Jersey State Police will release a list of more than 400 troopers with "major disciplinary violations" over the last 20 years.
"Today is an important step in our effort to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve," Grewal tweeted. "It's hardly the only solution, and we still have a long way to go. But we are moving in the right direction."
States across the country are rushing to reform police procedures, including more transparency on discipline, after weeks of nationwide protests following the Minneapolis death of George Floyd. The officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes now faces murder charges.
The move comes three days after New York repealed a law known as Section 50-a that kept officers' disciplinary records secret.
