As part of our ongoing 'Justice for All' series, News 12 examines changes among the police and communities throughout the tri-state area in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Justice For All report on shooting leads to discovery of problems with NJ use-of-force database
Reporter: Walt Kane
A Justice For All report on a police shooting in Bloomfield has led to the discovery of widespread problems with New Jersey’s reporting of police use-of-force cases statewide. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office confirms the database was corrupted and wrongly displayed the names of thousands of police officers who had not actually used force.
Nassau County PD's new academy highlighting community engagement nears completion
Reporter: Antoinette Biordi
The Nassau County Police Department's new academy is almost complete.
For nearly 30 years, the department has not had a training facility to call its own.
In May 2019, News 12 was there as the county broke ground on a new state-of-the-art $54 million police academy.
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Stamford reimagines mental health responses as part of reform
Reporter: Shosh Bedrosian
As it looks to implement reforms, one local police department has adapted a new strategy in its mental health responses.
The Stamford Police Department is evolving and adapting when it comes to responding to mental health calls.
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Despite massive body camera rollout, questions about transparency remain
Reporter: Zhane Caldwell
Encounters between police and the public have been caught on police body-worn cameras since the NYPD integrated the technology back in 2017.
A changing mindset may be key to reform
Reporter: Frank Recchia
One local police chief believes changing the mindset of police officers is at the heart of any potential reform initiatives.
Justice For All: Videos raise questions about police shooting in Bloomfield
Reporter: Walt Kane
Nassau police embrace outreach, hoping to overcome mistrust among some residents
Is civilian police oversight effective?
Police departments focus on de-escalation, non-lethal tactics as evolution of law enforcement
Reporter: Blaise Gomez
As the nationwide conversation about police reform continues – departments in the Hudson Valley are focusing on de-escalation and new, non-lethal tactics.
Years of aggressive, high-profile and often deadly police encounters have led to a shift in policing that’s at the heart of police reform.
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Police departments embrace body cam advantages
A Democrat from Essex County, who also happens to be a sheriff’s officer, is pushing to allow cops to be able to review body camera footage before writing up reports.
Some NJ lawmakers already pushing for changes to new body cam mandate
Reporter: Nick Meidanis
New Jersey lawmakers are rushing to make changes to the state’s barely-on-the-books laws about police body cameras.
A Democrat from Essex County, who also happens to be a sheriff’s officer, is pushing to allow cops to be able to review body camera footage before writing up reports.
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Driver’s strip search claim puts spotlight on police oversight debate
Reporter: Thema Ponton
"I was scared because this shouldn't happen at all, this, this shouldn't happen to anybody. These are the people that are supposed to be looking out for you and protecting you, and, and this is happening to me."
That’s what Brain Garcia, of Commack, said about the day he said he was illegally stopped and strip searched by Suffolk police in May of 2016.
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NJ attorney general gives police departments 2 months to release discipline records
Reporter: Nick Meidanis
New Jersey’s top law enforcement officer has issued an order to police chiefs — you have two months to start naming names.
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has been pushing to out any officer who has been fired, demoted or suspended more than five days. It’s the latest promise of police transparency from the state government.
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Police step up efforts to diversify their departments
Reporter: Michelle Brown
Connecticut police departments prep for body camera deadline
Reporter: Marissa Alter
Connecticut is one of seven states that now mandates body cameras for police departments -- with the deadline for implementing just over a year away.
"Connecticut had kind of traditionally encouraged police departments, kind of the carrot--here's the funding to get cameras," explains State Rep. Steve Stafstrom. "After the murder of George Floyd and with the call for police accountability last summer, we do now mandate that police departments have body cameras as of July 1, 2022."
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Activists, lawmakers scrutinize civil lawsuit protections for police officers
Reporter: Thema Ponton
Qualified immunity is a major sticking point in bipartisan police reform negotiations on Capitol Hill and an issue that was brought into mainstream focus following the murder of George Floyd. The federal doctrine protects police officers accused of violating the constitutional rights of citizens from being sued in civil court.
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Gun violence up after disbanding of Anti-Crime Unit
‘It’s helped tremendously.’ Body cameras usher in next chapter of police training
Reporter: Erika Shych
Gov. Phil Murphy was in Camden as the state became the sixth in the nation to require all police officers to wear body cameras.
"This is not about that ‘I got you moment’ and finding a cop doing something wrong, it's about making them better so they can serve our community better," said Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez.
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New Rochelle to implement body cameras in new phase of policing
Reporter: Nadia Galindo
The New Rochelle Police Department expects to implement a body camera program this summer.
Deputy Police Commissioner Rob Gazzola, who will become the department’s commissioner in July, said police just purchased 150 body cameras which will be worn by uniformed officers.
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Calls for reform spark changes in legal protection for officers
Reporter: Amanda Bossard
New York City made history this spring when the City Council approved a bill aimed at ending qualified immunity for NYPD officers. The longstanding legal protection is something activists pushed to dismantle when protests calling for police reform erupted last summer.
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Despite nationwide body cam adoptions, Nassau and Suffolk still awaiting full rollout
Reporter: Eileen Lehpamer
Body-worn cameras are commonplace in most large police departments across the country.
However, the Nassau and Suffolk police departments remain two of just three of the nation’s largest departments where officers aren’t equipped with the recording technology.
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Engaging with communities and embracing reform
Reporter: Mark Sudol
Connecticut has made sweeping police reform changes since George Floyd's murder a year ago. In October, the state enacted its police accountability law that requires every police department in the state to go through bias, diversity and inclusion training.
News 12 Connecticut's Mark Sudol sat down with two local police departments about police reform and the training that is being undertaken.
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Groundbreaking Newark program addresses racism and police brutality
Reporter: Brittany Miller
Officials in Newark show News 12 their groundbreaking program to tackle racism and police brutality. It’s called the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery and was opened in June 2020, shortly after George Floyd was killed.A long road to change
Reporter: John Craven
George Floyd's death has sparked police, local leaders and members of the community to embrace reform. Postive changes have been made, but there is much more to be done.
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Police reform plans. What now?
Reporter: Eileen Lehpamer
Municipalities across the state have submitted their police reform plans. What happens now? Who is reviewing them and when are those reviews due?
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A renewed focus on mental illness
Reporter: Phil Taitt
Reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death have brought a renewed focus on police response and mental illness.
For decades, many have continued to raise their voices advocating for the mentally ill. The cry for changes to policing remain as the mentally ill in the tri-state area and across the nation have sometimes died during police interventions.
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