The Lawrence Police Department has a problem. It has been accused by Hispanic activists of profiling Hispanic drivers in the area around the Brunswick Circle near the Trenton border and, while it denies the charge, it is clear that much will need to be done to build trust between the police and the Hispanic community.
Ms. Juega said it appeared that a disproportionate number of Hispanic drivers were stopped by police in the area around the Brunswick Circle, which borders Trenton. The reasons for being stopped were “pretextual” — a rosary hanging on the rearview mirror or tinted windows or driving a car with out-of-state license plates, she said.
A review of Lawrence police videotapes and written records “confirmed our fears” that Hispanic and black motorists were stopped more often than other groups, Ms. Juega said. They also receive more tickets when they are stopped than other groups, she said.
Richard Rivera, a retired West New York police officer and who is now the director of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey’s Civil Rights Protection Project, said he had helped investigate racial profiling allegations made against the New Jersey State Police.
”When you look at the whole police department, you try to assess particular patterns of behavior,” said Mr. Rivera. “There were a lot of stops of people of color that happened on the border (between Lawrence and Trenton). The officer sits on the street and watches (incoming) traffic from Trenton.”
Some of the traffic stops that were videotaped showed some “questionable behavior” that related to the officer’s own safety, such as shutting off the microphone during a stop or giving the incorrect location of the stop, he said.
”After you look at this, it starts to form a pattern,” Mr. Rivera said. “You also form an opinion. You kind of get the feeling of the overall culture and oversight of the Police Department. There is a lack of oversight.”
Township officials take a different view, attributing the higher rate of stops to other factors — the higher percentage of Hispanic residents living near the Brunswick Circle, which means “you would expect more stops,” and the higher incidence of accidents around the circle.
Based on “where the facts took us,” Mr. Bostock said, township officials concluded the Police Department does not practice racial profiling and steps are being taken to ensure “fair and equal treatment.”
“I will say personally, I have real confidence in the Police Department,” he said, adding that township officials will continue to work with LALDEF and to ensure that Hispanic drivers will receive “the fair and equal treatment they deserve as a matter of basic human rights.”
The issues raised are troubling. I am too far removed to have an opinion on their accuracy, but I think it is clear that there is a belief among at least some Hispanics that they are being targeted. Whether or not it is true, it is incumbent upon the Lawrence police to address the concerns, as they say they will.
The police have an opportunity here to show they value input from a segment of the community that too often feels left out of the loop; more than lip service is needed.
Hank Kalet 