A federal investigation that cites the February 2022 police shooting of a Burlington City man has found repeated civil rights violations by Trenton officials and police.
The review also flagged shortcomings in training, policies and other areas that contribute to "unlawful conduct" by the city and its police department.
"A comprehensive investigation found that TPD (Trenton Police Department) unlawfully uses excessive force, including unreasonable forms of physical force and pepper spray when facing little resistance or danger," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.
It said the department "conducts stops, searches and arrests without reasonable suspicion or probable cause."
Trenton police officers often escalate low-threat encounters and unlawfully arrest the person they stopped and searched, the statement added.
"For too long, the residents of Trenton have felt afraid of the police, rather than protected by them," U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
"Today's findings are the first step in achieving the reforms needed to rebuild public trust, so that the Trenton Police Department can effectively fight crime and keep residents safe, while respecting the constitutional rights of each and every person."
Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora echoed that view.
"Trust within the community is absolutely critical to the mission of the TPD," he said in a statement.
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A 45-page report on the investigation touched on the February 2022 police shooting of Jajuan Henderson, then a Burlington City resident.
Henderson, who was sitting at the wheel of a parked car, tried to drive away from officers who refused to say why they'd approached him, the report said.
"But an officer shot Henderson four times, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down," it noted.
Henderson was charged with aggravated assault, obstruction and resisting arrest. He's sued the city, which has agreed to payments of more than $7 million since 2021 to resolve lawsuits alleging police misconduct.
In another incident, the report said, a 64-year-old man died from respiratory failure after police escalated an encounter despite the lack of a threat, throwing him to the ground and pepper-spraying him.
Separately, a man died when police responded to a call about a "mental person" in a hospital parking lot. Officers pepper-sprayed and tackled the shirtless man, then handcuffed him and held him face-down in mulch while awaiting a transport van.
"The officers continued to push his head into the mulch, pin his arms and legs, and take turns holding a knee on his back while he cried repeatedly, 'I can't breathe' and 'I'm gonna die.' After more than four minutes of this, the man got quiet and still," said the report.
"Officers still held him down for another minute. Finally, an officer asked whether the man had a pulse, and officers called for medical help. Doctors later pronounced the man dead."
According to the report, many of the police actions violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search or seizure.
It also cited these instances of police abuse:
The investigation, launched by the Justice Department in October 2023, included the extensive review of police records and body-worn camera footage.
Investigators "also interviewed city and TPD leadership and line officers, accompanied officers on ride-alongs and met with dozens of community members," the statement said. It added that city officials and police fully cooperated with the probe.
Gusciora said fellow city officials and police officers are already making changes, including the creation of an Internal Affairs Bureau that prioritizes "community safety, accountability, and respect for civil liberties."
The federal report acknowledged these actions, but said more improvements are needed.