'A clear and complete transition to new oversight role has been slow to materialize,' state comptroller's report says
New Jersey State Police troopers graduating on June 24, 2009.TRENTON — An office tasked with overseeing the State Police after a federal consent decree to revamp the force ended last year has been slow in getting up and running, according to a state comptroller report released today.
Budget constraints have hampered staffing at the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards, raising questions about increasing workloads, the report said. And the office’s multiple responsibilities could place it in the "difficult dual role of both impartial monitor and investigative partner" with the State Police during misconduct probes, according to the comptroller.
"A clear and complete transition to (the office’s) new oversight role has been slow to fully materialize," the report said.
Overall, however, the comptroller gave the office and the State Police’s training programs a clean bill of health.
"In the areas we looked at, the State Police continues to show strong efforts in ensuring high professional standards," State Comptroller Matthew Boxer said.
Assistant Attorney General Howard McCoach, who became the office’s first permanent director in August, downplayed the comptroller’s concerns about budget issues and the office’s independence.
"We are getting up to speed relatively quickly," he said. "We’re staying on top of our work."
McCoach said the office has a dual role of monitoring and providing advice, which requires a closer relationship with the State Police.
Last year the State Police emerged from a decade of federal oversight designed to eliminate racial profiling. A law passed last year, aimed at codifying reforms made under the consent decree, requires the comptroller to regularly audit the division.
The comptroller’s report highlighted a state Supreme Court decision issued last year making it more difficult for troopers to search vehicles without a warrant. As a result, troopers are asking motorists for permission to search their vehicles more often. Because each consent search is considered a "critical incident" requiring a review by supervisors, the comptroller expects the workload at the office to continue increasing.
David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, praised the report as "spot on." He said the Office of Law Enforcement Professional Standards has suffered from a "poorly defined mission."
"They haven’t had any consistency at the top," Jones said. "One person may focus on the academy, and a second may focus on disciplinary cases, and the third may focus on recruiting."
Today’s report, written after a seven-month review, is the comptroller’s first on the State Police. It focused on training, which it described as "high quality."