NJ Supreme Court: Report on top cop's racist comments must be released

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Court: Report on top cop’s racist comments must be released

DAVID PORTER
March 14, 2022

New Jersey’s Supreme Court has ruled the public has a right to see the internal affairs report from the case of the city of Elizabeth’s former police director, who resigned after an investigation found he used racist and sexist language to refer to department personnel.

James Cosgrove, the civilian head of the department for two decades, stepped down in 2019, months after an attorney filed a complaint on behalf of employees. The Union County prosecutor’s office conducted a two-month investigation that concluded he had “used derogatory terms, including racist and misogynistic slurs,” to describe his staff. Gurbir Grewal, New Jersey’s attorney general at the time, urged Cosgrove to step down.

A state appeals court later denied access to the internal affairs records, writing that disclosure would discourage future witnesses from reporting misconduct and frustrate the investigative process.

In reversing that ruling Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote, “In a matter like this, the public interest in disclosure is great. Racist and sexist conduct by the civilian head of a police department violates the public’s trust in law enforcement. It undermines confidence in law enforcement generally, including the thousands of professionals who serve the public honorably.”

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-new-jersey-police-gurbir-grewal-race-and-ethnicity-b1127c7c8ecef722245e33255c823fc1

[jimfields33]

1. Two years later? Almost 3 really.

He’s probably enjoying his drinks on a Florida beach somewhere.