NJ's Attorney General on Police Reform
Since George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, police reform is suddenly at the top of the national agenda. But the specifics of what that reform look will like remains a topic of hot debate.
New Jersey's Attorney General Gurbir Grewal provided a look at possible police reform when he released a five-point plan to reduce discriminatory policing last week. It calls for a statewide database tracking use-of-force incidents, a response team to investigate civil rights violations, and a professional licensing system for police officers. Grewal also says New Jersey will revise its use of force policy for the first time in two decades.
Grewal's announcement last week was partly overshadowed after questions emerged about the death of Maurice Gordon, a 28-year-old black man fatally shot by a white state trooper during a traffic stop over Memorial Day weekend. Gordon's mother is calling for the trooper to face murder charges.
Grewal told WNYC's Jami Floyd that reforming police departments is difficult work, and will require a wholesale rethinking of policing. He says that starts with officer training at the academy.
"You could institute every policy imaginable," Grewal said. "Unless the culture changes, the policies are largely meaningless."
