OVERVIEW

Many major U.S. cities track use-of-force trends as part of systems that flag potentially problematic officers for review. But in New Jersey, that’s not required, which experts state is unusual. For this analysis, I compared police departments total use of force in New Jersey by townships neighboring close to the area of study which was Montclair township and Montclair State University.

As part of Montclair State’s, “Oh No, Five-O week,” The Montclair State Police department presented their first Community Relations Expo this October. Students, including Mechi Brown Senior Theater Studies major and Black Student Union member, spoke with police on issues of Excessive force, Student code of conduct and the Do’s and don’ts in encounters with police. This program designed to restore and renew police and community relations on our campus.

“Community-based events were students can approach police are rare. I’m always on guard with police on campus, but when I attend events that allow information to follow and students to interact with police officers, I become more optimistic of our campus police. Tension among police and our generation of youth are at an all-time high, thus having access to the Montclair State Police department is very important.”
-Mechi Brown, Theater Studies major

“Oh No, Five-O,” Montclair State Police Community Relations Expo

Montclair State Police on Moving Foward following Excessive Force Incident

Montclair, NJ 11/1/18 First annual Community Relations Expo: At Student Center, Ballrooms Montclair State University, Students gather to ask police questions police excessive force.  by Tiffany Baskerville                               
A police incident at Montclair State University this past September on the first day of class for the fall semester ended with two arrests on assault-related charges. As reported by multiple news publications and the universities newspaper, one of the officers drew a gun during the encounter but didn’t discharge the weapon on two African American students.

The arrests which took place near the Redhawk parking garage where the office was captured on camera tackling a student was upload to twitter. The video footage which has been viewed almost 350,000 times and retweeted more than 5,000 times, has many Montclair state students expressing their disappointment in campus policing.

Nevertheless, the university hit back after the video went viral, saying its officers took “every precaution necessary” to make sure people on campus were kept safe. “While the optics in the video may be unclear, the reality is that the officers acted according to New Jersey Attorney General guidelines and the process worked,” said Police department representative.

As more and more stories are coming to light on police and the issue of excessive force become more conversational, many college students’ and residents of Montclair township wonder when this problem will be addressed properly. Throughout this analysis, many cases of police and excessive force have reportedly flooded the news following a string of incidents like the Montclair State Incident.

As reported by AP News and the Washington post, Police brutality and excessive force have been on the rise since 2013. This reporting was chosen because it is a major societal issue targeting more African Americans and people of color. It has been in the news, the 2016 election, and it has had a major impact on our lives, as many of us, as well as our family and friends, have been victims and witnesses of police brutality and excessive force.

In a country devastated by the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people, many of them unarmed, at the hands of police officers, drastic changes are needed in our approach to public safety. Such excessive force by police is particularly disturbing given its disproportionate impact on people of color.

Whilst policing is viewed as a difficult task and some officers can attest to this claim, the act of committing unlawful and violent acts is essential unethical as an officer. Police have a duty to maintain public order, and in doing so they may use force only when strictly necessary. If the use of force is unavoidable, it must be done with restraint. However, such cases as the Montclair State video scandal have drawn up campus discourse and questions on police conduct and procedure. As of December 17, 2018, the Montclair State Police department declined to answer any questions regarding this case examination. They are hoping to move forward from this event by providing more information to the campus community and sponsoring student events to restore faith with the campus students.