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'Unconstitutional:' Feds Slam Trenton Police For Excessive Force, Illegal Stops
Federal investigators have accused the Trenton Police Department (TPD) of widespread civil rights violations, including excessive force and illegal arrests, calling the department’s practices “unconstitutional” in a damning report released Thursday, Nov. 21.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that TPD officers routinely stopped and searched individuals without reasonable suspicion, made arrests without probable cause, and escalated encounters with excessive force.
These practices, compounded by poor training, inadequate oversight, and a lack of accountability, have eroded community…
Update: Paterson Police Officer Indicted For Shooting Unarmed Man In Back As He Ran
"Drop the gun!" a Paterson police officer shouts several times as he chases a fleeing man down a city street.
Suddenly, two shots ring out and Khalif Cooper falls face down in the street.
Officer Jerry Moravek, who fired the shots, handcuffs Cooper, 28, who is heard on a bodycam video telling him, "I don't got no gun."
A grand jury agreed.
Moravek was indicted in Trenton on criminal charges this week for shooting the unarmed Cooper, who was left paralyzed, in June 2022, state Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced on Thursday, Dec. 7.
“Deadly force against a fleeing suspect must be u…
Sussex County Police Officer Stole $1.2K Item While On Duty: Prosecutor
A police officer in Sussex County has been charged in an on-duty theft, authorities said.
Konstantinos Protogeropoulos, 26, a Hardyston police officer, stole a "certain movable property valued at $1,225," Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said.
Taggart did not say what the item was, but that he knowingly deprived that person thereof on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Protogeropoulos was charged with third-degree theft and second-degree official misconduct, Taggart said on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
$1.4M Paid To Suspended NJ Officers Awaiting Trial For No-Show Extra Duty Jobs: Report
Four suspended police officers from Edison were paid $1.4 million during the two years they awaited trial for billing the town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, NJ Advance Media reports.
The officers have been on paid suspension ever since, but were put on unpaid leave earlier this month when new indictments were announced against Sgt. Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory Makras, 38, of Cranford and Sgt. Brian Rossmeyer, 45, of Bridgewater, according to the outlet and Middlesex County Pr…
4 NJ Police Officers Indicted For Bilking Town For No-Show 'Extra Duty' Assignments: Prosecutor
Four suspended police officers from Central Jersey bilked their town for no-show "extra duty" assignments, authorities said.
The Edison Police officers were charged with racketeering, bribery, theft, money laundering and witness tampering, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said on Friday, Oct. 14.
They did not say how much taxpayer money was stolen by the former officers.
Sergeant Ioannis (John) Mpletsakis, 43, of Edison Township, Patrolman James Panagoulakos, 36, of Jackson Township, Patrolman Gregory&nbs…
Jury Finds Former Cop Guilty Of Murder In Shooting Of Estranged Wife: Morris County Prosecutor
A jury has found a former Newark police officer guilty of murder in the 2019 shooting of his estranged wife and the attempted murder of her partner in Morris County following an eight-day trial, authorities announced.
John Formisano, 52, was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, hindering apprehension or prosecution, official misconduct, and two counts each of child endangerment and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a joint release on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Formisano, an Acting Lieutenant, was off-duty …
