For years, minority motorists have complained that New Jersey State Troopers routinely practiced a kind of racism called “racial profiling,” deliberately singling out minorities for humiliating roadside stops and searches purely on the basis of their skin color. The police claimed minorities were never stopped because of race alone. But a lawsuit brought by three black men and one Hispanic who were shot by state troopers has made racial profiling a problem that can no longer be ignored and has left police and politicians scrambling to clean up the mess.
The four young men were driving in a rented Dodge van along the New Jersey Turnpike on April 23, 1998, when State Troopers John Hogan and James Kenna pulled them over. The officers then opened fire on the van, striking three of the men and critically injuring two. The men say they were handcuffed and pushed into a roadside ditch until the paramedics arrived. The men charge they were singled out simply because of their race. At first, police headquarters claimed the troopers stopped the van because police radar showed it was speeding and that the officers began shooting when the driver of the van tried to back up over them. But the department later admitted the police didn’t even have radar in their cruiser, and a state grand jury is investigating the incident.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and other protest-celebrities quickly seized on the case as the latest example of racially motivated police brutality, and O. J. Simpson lawyers Johnnie Cochran and Barry Scheck are representing the men in a civil suit. Last month the New Jersey Attorney General’s office issued the results of a preliminary investigation of the state police, confirming that racial profiling is a “real” problem. According to one academic analysis, the department’s own statistics show that on one portion of the turnpike black and Hispanic motorists have been nearly five times more likely to be stopped than whites. Law-enforcement sources say that some troopers have recently tried to cover up the large number of minorities they pull over by listing them as white on police reports. Last month officers Hogan and Kenna were indicted on numerous charges of falsifying police reports. Lawyers for the troopers have said the charges are outrageous.
State officials can hardly claim surprise at the troubles. As long as three years ago, a New Jersey state judge concluded that troopers were engaging in systematic racial profiling–and cautioned that evidence in 19 drug and gun cases might have to be thrown out because the defendants had been searched without cause. But instead of coming down hard on the police offenders, New Jersey Attorney General Peter Verniero initially sided with the troopers and moved to appeal the ruling. After the furor over the shooting erupted last month, Verniero–whose chances of winning a coveted seat on the state Supreme Court are now in jeopardy–backed down. “We’re taking a hard look at all the allegations,” says Verniero’s spokesman, Roger Shatzkin.
The state police force is also struggling to defend itself against an avalanche of allegations from its own employees. Currently, 14 black and Hispanic troopers have filed lawsuits against the department, charging discrimination on the job. In one case, a veteran Hispanic trooper named Vincent Bellaran sued when he was suspended after complaining about racism on the job. Bellaran’s superior officer not only ordered him to hand in his service revolver and badge, but made him strip down in front of fellow troopers and turn over his uniform. He was driven home in his underwear. Based on all this, federal Judge Mary Cooper found that Bellaran was the victim of discrimination–and is considering whether he should collect damages. State officials dispute the judge’s ruling.
Former officers describe how troopers routinely park alongside the turnpike and shine their headlights into passing cars, looking for black drivers to pull over. They then radio fellow officers to let them know that a “carload of coal” or group of “porch monkeys” is headed their way. “Racial profiling is not the act of a few bad apples,” says Paul McLemore, a civil-rights lawyer who was New Jersey’s first black trooper. “It is a systemic problem.”
It may not be for much longer. State officials tell NEWSWEEK that Gov. Christie Whitman is likely to announce a shake-up in the department’s leadership–and that more than a few heads will roll. If she doesn’t, the Feds may do it for her. The Justice Department recently warned state officials that it will file a federal lawsuit if New Jersey doesn’t act quickly. That may be good news for turnpike drivers–but Elmo Randolph will still be checking his rearview mirror each morning, just to make sure.
