Police in New Jersey’s capital have shown a pattern of misconduct, including excessive force and unlawful stops, Justice Department officials said Thursday, in a report documenting arrests without a legal basis, officers escalating situations with aggression and unnecessary use of pepper spray.
The 45-page report comes after a roughly yearlong investigation into the Trenton Police Department, undertaken after an officer shot and paralyzed a young Black man who attempted to drive away when officers didn’t tell them why they stopped him.
