Building A New Relationship Between The Community And Police

On July 12, 1967, residents of Newark took to the streets to protest the abuse of a Black cabdriver, John W. Smith. That night, Newark police officers had beat him into paralysis and dragged him into the police station, simply because he drove his cab around their double-parked police car.

Violent encounters with the police catalyzed the Newark Rebellion, just as they did the protests in hundreds of other cities across America in 1967.

Law enforcement abuses in Newark have been so pervasive that in July 2014, the Department of Justice announced a pattern of widespread civil rights violations in the Newark Police Department. It 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, the Newark police detained innocent people for “milling,” “loitering” or “wandering.”

The Consent Decree

In 2016, a federal court approved a panel of experts-led by former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey-to serve as the Independent Monitoring Team of the Newark Department of Public Safety's Police Division, in accordance with a settlement reached by the Department of Justice and the City of Newark. The Consent Decree requires the Independent Monitor to conduct an annual survey to assess Newark community members' experiences with and perceptions of the NPD and public safety. More information on the consent decree and the Independent Monitoring Team can be found at https://www.newarkpdmonitor.com/.

Newark is poised to realize the kind of policing that residents have long urged. The kind of policing in which law enforcement respects and honors the humanity of the people they serve; the kind of policing in which police seek first to build community; and the kind of policing in which law enforcement joins with the communities they serve to be both peacemakers and peacekeepers.

As a member of this monitoring team, the Institute is committed to ensuring that the community voice resounds throughout the reform process.

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Resources

Consent Decree Documents

Please note that these documents are also available on the Independent Monitor’s Website at www.newarkpdmonitor.com.

Follow the links below to learn more about the Consent Decree, how it affects you, and how you can provide feedback on the process and draft policies.

The Consent Decree

The Consent Decree outlines the necessary steps that Newark and the NPD must take to reform their policing practices. Read the Decree here.

Reports and Plans

Eighteenth Quarterly Report

The eighteenth quarterly report, released on October 15, 2021 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from April 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021. Read the report here.

Seventeenth Quarterly Report

The seventeenth quarterly report, released on September 21, 2021 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from January 1, 2021 through March 31, 2021. Read the report here.

Sixteenth Quarterly Report

The sixteenth quarterly report, released on July 9, 2021 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Read the report here.

Fifteenth Quarterly Report

The fifteenth quarterly report, released on January 28, 2021 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from July 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020. Read the report here.

Fourteenth Quarterly Report

The fourteenth quarterly report, released on September 28, 2020 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020. Read the report here.

Thirteenth Quarterly Report

The thirteenth quarterly report, released on June 16, 2020 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020. Read the report here.

Twelfth Quarterly Report

The twelfth quarterly report, released on April 27, 2020 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. Read the report here.

Eleventh Quarterly Report

The eleventh quarterly report, released on April 27, 2020 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019. Read the report here.

Tenth Quarterly Report

The tenth quarterly report, released on January 13, 2020 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from April 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019. Read the report here.

Ninth Quarterly Report

The ninth quarterly report, released on October 25, 2019 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from January 1, 2019 through March 31, 2010. Read the report here.

Eight Quarterly Report

The eight quarterly report, released on August 9, 2018 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. Read the report here.

Seventh Quarterly Report

The seventh quarterly report, released on April 16, 2018 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from July 1, 2018 through September 30, 2018. Read the report here.

Sixth Quarterly Report

The sixth quarterly report, released on January 16, 2019 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from April 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018. Read the report here.

Fifth Quarterly Report

The fifth quarterly report, released on June 28, 2018 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from January 1, 2018 through March 31, 2018. Read the report here.

Fourth Quarterly Report

The fourth quarterly report, released on May 4, 2018 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from October 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Read the report here.

Third Quarterly Report

The third quarterly report, released on January 15, 2018 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from June 1, 2017 through September 30, 2017. Read the report here. For an English language summary, please click here. For a Spanish language summary, please click here. For a Portuguese language summary, please click here.

Second Quarterly Report

The second quarterly report, released on October 6, 2017 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covered the reporting period from February 1, 2017 through May 31, 2017. Read the report here.

First Quarterly Report

The first quarterly report, released on April 24, 2017 by Independent Monitor Peter Harvey and the Independent Monitoring Team, covers the reporting period from July 12, 2016 through January 31, 2017. Read the report here.

Policies

Please attend the community meetings hosted by the Newark Police Division to provide feedback on the NPD's draft policies:

Your Voice Matters

If you have comments or concerns about the Newark Police Division’s released drafts of its policies, you can provide feedback here.