Information on major disciplinary actions taken by New Jersey law enforcement agencies against officers in 2024 has been released by the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of Justice Data. The updated major discipline report, dashboard, and internal affairs dashboard now include data from 2024, aligning with directives from the Attorney General.
The disclosures cover officers who were suspended for more than five days, demoted, or terminated last year. They also provide data on officers found guilty of certain internal affairs violations. “The vast majority of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers show up to work each day and risk their own safety to help and protect others and to serve their communities,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “Publicly releasing this data about the handling of disciplinary matters helps maintain the public’s trust in those dedicated, hardworking men and women of law enforcement.”
In 2024, there were 644 major discipline actions taken by 172 agencies against 543 officers. Attendance-related offenses such as lateness were most common among these cases. The list includes only completed cases with sustained charges resulting in final sanctions or plea agreements not pending appeals as of December 31, 2024.
The summary of all reported Internal Affairs cases for 2024 is also available. Law enforcement agencies reported opening over 15,000 internal affairs investigations involving approximately 8,800 unique officers across New Jersey. One-third of closed investigations resulted in a sustained finding, often leading to oral or written reprimands.
This information sharing is part of efforts by the Attorney General’s Office to increase transparency regarding police discipline and use of force under AG Directive 2021-6. This directive requires annual submission of major discipline reporting forms by all New Jersey law enforcement agencies.
AG Directive 2022-14 expanded infractions considered as major discipline to include discriminatory conduct, filing false reports, improper searches, excessive force application, untruthfulness, evidence mishandling or destruction, domestic violence commission, indictable crime charges against officers, and departures during pending internal affairs matters that would have required reporting.
Additionally, AG Directive 2022-14 mandates detailed conduct summaries for major discipline disclosures to ensure clarity for readers unfamiliar with specific cases. Although issued in November 2022, increased reporting requirements took effect on January 1, 2023.
