The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office hosted a virtual town hall in the past week regarding the state of New Jersey’s current Use of Force Policy, a standard that may be revised by the end of the calendar year, according to the attorney general’s office.
The current Use of Force Policy has remained in its current form for about two decades, according to Public Information Officer Colby Gallagher, of the prosecutor’s office.
The state’s 21 prosecutor’s offices have been instructed to host town halls for public input regarding concerns and questions residents may have about the policy, and to hear potential suggestions for revisions.
“Following the recent conversation that is taking place across the country about policing tactics, they felt that it was not only time to make those updates, but to make them using input provided by the residents of New Jersey,” said Gallagher. “Each prosecutor’s office was asked to organize their own event to solicit input, ideas and suggestions to the current policy.”
During the town hall, hosted by acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer, panelists reviewed the current Use of Force Policy before discussing why such tactics may be utilized and what changes could be implemented.
Angela Sexias, section chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit, discussed the current policy standards as written by the state, including constructive authority; physical contact; and mechanical and physical force, with physical force being described as allowed “when necessary to overcome a subject’s physical resistance to that officer.”
Sexias also noted that the use of deadly force is only permitted “when it’s immediately necessary to protect that officer or another person from imminent danger or death.”
Raphael Thornton, a sergeant with the Camden County Police Department, discussed acceptable and unacceptable uses of force as currently taught by the Camden County College Police Academy, where he serves as an instructor.
“The officers at the Camden County Policy Academy are taught to use force that is proportional to the crime that is being committed,” Thornton said. “They are taught to work as a team and they are taught to use de-escalation as a tactic.”
Citing actions by police that sparked national protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a Minneapolis police officer, Thornton said such actions are already prohibited in New Jersey, or only allowed in the most dire situations.
“Our officers are taught to use force based on the sanctity of life,” he added. “They want to make sure they exhaust all means, before using force, and that the objective is achieved when a suspect is brought into custody and brought home safe.”
Thornton further explained that choke holds are not taught at the academy level, but are authorized in a deadly force situation.
The town hall panel also discussed various components of policing and situations police officers may find themselves in while on the job. According to the prosecutor’s office, questions and comments from the public suggesting changes in the Use of Force Policy are to be submitted to the state attorney general’s office.
