Councilmembers Ridley and Solomon Release Civilian Complaint Review Board Ordinance to Bring Rigorous Community Oversight to JCPD

The two Council Members will partner with Assemblywoman Angela McKnight and community advocates to pass strong legislation in Jersey City and Trenton

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Council Members Denise Ridley and James Solomon will jointly introduce an ordinance to form a Civilian Complaint Review Board to provide community oversight to the Jersey City Police Department. The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) would be one of the nation’s strongest, with substantial investigatory power paired with political independence. If passed by the City Council, the CCRB would go into effect only after the New Jersey Legislature authorizes strong CCRBs by passing legislation drafted by Assemblywoman Angela McKnight.

Councilwoman Ridley said: “I believe that government works best when it is responsive to the requests of residents. The City is actively taking steps to better the relationship between our police department and the community. A CCRB is a step that gives both civilians and police an additional avenue to address complaints in a transparent way. Establishing the groundwork for a CCRB in Jersey City shows that we are committed to growing and improving systems in an effort to increase communication and trust.”

Councilman Solomon added, “On the heels of the appointment of Jersey City’s first civilian Police Director, a strong, independent CCRB would guarantee the accountability and transparency Jersey City residents rightfully ask from their police department. Instead of the police investigating the police, trusted community members will provide impartial review of allegations of impropriety and release the findings of their investigations, building trust between our officers and the community.”

The joint ordinance will be introduced for first reading at the Jersey City Municipal Council Meeting on February 24th and will send a clear message to the state legislature for the need for civilian oversight of police departments. Jersey City would be the second city to pass a CCRB in New Jersey after Newark.

“I commend Councilwoman Ridley and Councilman Solomon and all of the stakeholders in Jersey City who are pushing forward for a civilian review board in our community,” says Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-Hudson County). “I am pleased to advocate at the state level on behalf of them, and all of the other leaders of municipalities throughout the state who have remained committed to having a CCRB. We must pass legislation that ensures that these local governing bodies have a framework in place that will truly increase transparency and accountability between law enforcement agencies and the people they serve.”

Key aspects of the CCRB include:

• Accountability to the Community

  • The CCRB would have 11 CCRB members, appointed in the following manner:

    • 5 seats on the CCRB would be recommended by a committee made up of  members from various community organizations and the three at-Large council members.

    • 6 seats on the CCRB would be recommended by each of the Ward Council people to ensure geographic representation for Jersey City.

• Investigatory Power

  • CCRB will hold subpoena power.

  • The CCRB will hold a broad mandate to investigate both individual complaints and policy questions.

• Disciplinary Power

  • CCRB will vote on findings and recommend discipline for each case.

  • The Public Safety director retains final decision making power over discipline, however, he or she must appear before the CCRB to explain any discipline decision that differs from the CCRB’s recommendation.

• Transparency

  • CCRB will release data on all aspects of JCPD’s operations to ensure transparency and accountability.

• Trigger Mechanism

  • These CCRB powers will require state authorizing legislation. The CCRB will go into effect *only* after state legislation is passed.

The Councilmembers look forward to working with their colleagues and key stakeholders to review and ultimately pass the ordinance.

Bios

Denise Ridley is a life-long Jersey City resident that serves as Councilwoman for the Ward A section of Jersey City. She has added signature service events to the Ward and believes that service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth. She is focused on development in Greenville, while making sure long-standing residents are not pushed out of the neighborhood. Public safety and access to public transportation are two additional top concerns for the Councilwoman.

James Solomon represents downtown Jersey City as the Ward E Councilperson. He’s focused on building a just city, with affordable housing and improved mass transit, bicycling, and pedestrian infrastructure. He is also an adjunct professor of political science at Saint Peter’s University, New Jersey City University, and Hudson County Community College.

Angela V. McKnight, elected as the first African American Assemblywoman for the 31st District of the New Jersey State Legislature in 2015 is now serving her third term. She is a Democratic lawmaker representing towns in Hudson County, New Jersey to include Bayonne and Jersey City. As a member of the General Assembly, McKnight is the chairwoman of the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee, and serves on the Women and Children Committee, and the Aging and Senior Services Committee. Assemblywoman McKnight has sponsored several social justice bills to include the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) bill to allow municipalities to establish a civilian review board to investigate complaints against members of the police force; the hair anti-discrimination legislation to prevent discrimination of certain hairstyles such as dreadlocks, and legislation to legalize adult-use of cannabis