ACLU-NJ Represents Newark Police Abuse Victims

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- According to ACLU of New Jersey
(http://www.aclu-nj.org) on June 14, 2008, 13-year-old Tony Ivey Jr.,
15-year-old Faheem Loyal and their Pop Warner football coach, Kelvin James,
were stopped and mistreated by the Newark police. With guns drawn, the trio
were ordered out of the car in the rain, searched, and told in an
expletive-filled rant that they "didn't have any rights." All three were left
shaken up and frightened by the incident and feel ongoing distrust of police
officers.

Victim Profiles - http://www.aclu-nj.org/downloads/policeabuseprofiles.pdf

"I don't want anyone else to have to go through what we did that night," said
Ivey. "Kids shouldn't have to be afraid of the police. I used to want to be a
police officer, but now I'm not even sure who is there to protect me and who
might point a gun at me."

Know your rights - http://www.aclu-nj.org/downloads/bustenglish2up.pdf

ACLU-NJ brought the incident to the Mayor's attention, the police department
and the City's corporation counsel, all responded with significant concern.

"The City jumped right on the issue and pledged to make reforms," said Deborah
Jacobs, ACLU-NJ Executive Director. "They promised to make Internal Affairs
more accessible and use the city website, posters and pamphlets to publicize
information about how to file a complaint."

In addition to those steps, ACLU-NJ asked the City to include an independent
monitor with subpoena power in Mayor Booker's current plans to restructure
police leadership positions. ACLU-NJ maintains that independent monitoring is
the most reliable means of achieving best practices and accountability. The
need is evident since this is the third Newark police problem that ACLU-NJ has
engaged in this year.

"In major police departments around the country including Denver, San Jose,
Boise and Portland, independent monitors have turned poor departments around
and transformed good departments into great ones," said Jacobs. "Independent
monitors help police identify and remove the bad apples that spoil the
reputation of the majority of officers who perform their difficult jobs with
integrity."

Star-Ledger Op-Ed: http://www.aclu-nj.org/downloads/curbpoliceabuse.pdf

The ACLU-NJ added that the New Jersey State Police has improved dramatically
with the benefit of a monitor and that an independent monitor's influence can
bring technologies and resources that police officers need to do their jobs
with excellence.

Thus far, the City has not agreed to establish a monitor position.

SOURCE ACLU-NJ

Allison Peltzman, +1-973-642-2086, apeltzman@aclu-nj.org