Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, council prez McBride push for police reform amid national dialogue

TRENTON – Mayor Reed Gusciora said he supports releasing information about city cops who have engaged in misconduct on the job.

The first-term mayor wouldn’t commit to how much information should be provided about disciplined city police officers but said the capital city’s plans could resemble Mayor Andre Sayegh’s efforts in Patterson.

Sayegh pledged to make public by July 15 the names of current and past police officers who have been fired, suspended or demoted for more than five days because of misconduct.

“We’re gonna have some kind of form of it,” Gusciora told The Trentonian on Wednesday, adding he discussed the matter with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. “We will have to set parameters of what a major violation is.”

Gusciora suggested a possible carve-out for cops who are dead but hopes to have further discussions with police union leaders before formalizing anything.

While TPD union leaders didn’t respond to phone calls, one city leader hopes Gusciora goes further in his commitment to police reform.

“I think we should make it over the last 50 years,” at-large councilman Jerell Blakeley said. “I support that 100 percent. I think that gone are the days where people can hide behind their IA files. I implore the mayor to follow the mayor of Patterson’s lead and do the same thing in the city of Trenton. … If you don’t have anything to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.”

Grewal announced Monday that police departments statewide must identify officers who committed serious disciplinary infractions. The first list must be produced no later than Dec. 31.

The New Jersey State Police will also compile a list of state troopers with major infractions over the last 20 years by July 15.

Grewal’s office committed to publishing lists of disciplined officers as far back as the records go.

Currently, cops who break bad on the job aren’t publicly identified unless they’re criminally charged.

The AG’s edict comes amid demands for more transparency over police discipline following unrest over the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man killed by a white cop who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

In Trenton, the legislative body also introduced two measures aimed at reforming the city police department, which has faced accusations of police brutality over the years.

Last year, the feds indicted city cops Anthony Villanueva and Drew Inman as part of an excessive-force probe. The charges are still pending.

TPD Director Sheilah Coley has pledged to equip the tactical street crimes unit with body cams as part of a commitment to increase community policing after several complaints were made about officers in the unit.

But the legislative body wants more done to assure cops are treating Trentonians properly during interactions.

Trenton council president Kathy McBride sponsored resolutions calling for the city to hire a firm to conduct an independent analysis of Trenton Police operations.

The consultant would make recommendations to city leaders about how to improve the department’s policies and procedures.

The second is a push for TPD to revamp its use-of-force polices to root out “police violence and systemic racism,” in light of the death of Floyd and other unarmed blacks at the hands of cops.

McBride said she supported Gusciora’s push for more transparency in the capital city force. She said making cops’ disciplinary jackets public will help municipalities and the public track bad apples who hop from job to job – something Grewal looks to accomplish by licensing officers.

The council’s measures, set to be voted on Thursday, add to the local and statewide efforts, McBride said.

“The assessment should be done in police departments every 10 years,” she said. “There’s always room for improvement. The measures in these resolutions will move our Trenton Police department forward.”

Before Floyd’s death, an emotionally disturbed white man died in Trenton Police custody outside of St. Francis Medical Center.

Video footage obtained by The Trentonian showed officers pepper-spraying and pummeling the man in the face while he lay prone on the ground, his head in the dirt.

They were later captured pumping the man’s chest in the hospital parking lot. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Authorities have yet to identify the man who died or the officers who used force during the arrest as the AG’s office probes the death.

The Trentonian has since sued the city to compel it to release body-camera footage and police records from the incident.

Blakeley said the public has a right to know about disciplined cops on the force, and even those no longer serving.

He said he’s interested to learn if retired Trenton cop and South Ward councilman George Muschal was ever disciplined after hearing rumors about that being the case.

The Trentonian has learned Muschal has demanded his IA file.

Officers aren’t entitled to the files, which contain confidential information, but may receive a summary of sustained findings, TPD spokesman Jason Kmiec said.

“I think we are at a crossroads in this country,” Blakeley said. “Police are not masters; they are public servants. I think that people must be held accountable for their dastardly actions.”

Former Trenton cop Rolando Ramos said he believes the city must balance transparency with officers’ rights.

He favors the release of a list of sustained disciplinary charges against officers but not their names.

“Some of these guys are retired. Why put their names through the mud? That I don’t understand,” Ramos said.

Ramos acknowledged he has what’s likely considered a major disciplinary finding in his IA jacket for failing to timely file an arrest report in a case involving another officer, Nidia Colon, who received PTI after being accused of using excessive force during an arrest in 2012.

Ramos served a suspension and moved on with his career.

He’s worried infractions like that could unfairly haunt cops for the remainder of their careers, noting that screw-up didn’t mean he or others in the same boat are “bad cops.”

“It’s a balance,” he said. “Is it set up as a means to address the issues, or is is just a mirage aimed at transparency? What is the long-term goal?”