U.S. Department
of Justice
Pattern or Practice Investigation into the City of Trenton and the Trenton Police Department
On October 17, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (collectively, DOJ) opened a pattern or practice investigation of the City of Trenton and the Trenton Police Department (TPD) under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 34 U.S.C. § 12601. This investigation will assess whether the City of Trenton and the Trenton Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of (1) excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment; and (2) unlawful stops, searches, and seizures. DOJ will conduct a comprehensive review of TPD policies, training, and supervision, as well as examine TPD’s systems of accountability, including how TPD investigates police misconduct complaints and disciplines officers. As part of this investigation, DOJ is reaching out to community members to learn about their experiences with TPD. A team of attorneys and staff from the Special Litigation Section of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey are jointly conducting this investigation. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact us via email at USANJ.Community.Trenton@usdoj.gov or by phone at 973-645-2801. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s reporting portal, available at civilrights.justice.gov and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil rights reporting portal at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement