A state police unit in South Jersey has been singled out in a report for “egregious and disturbing” incidents of alleged discrimination against female and minority troopers.
Troop A, with headquarters in Buena Vista, showed “the most prevalent reports of bullying and discrimination” in a statewide review of state police operations, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
“The NJSP has been directed to evaluate the leadership within Troop A,” the office said in a statement Tuesday. It also called for “a strategy for changing the culture of that troop in light of the issues revealed in that investigation.”
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What does report say about Troop A?
A national law firm, Kaufman Dolowich, was retained by the state to review state police recruitment, hiring, retention and promotional polices.
Its 74-page report, based on interviews with approximately 150 current and former troopers, offered specific criticisms only of Troop A.
“Largely, our interviews revealed that many females and Of Color Troopers reported experiencing discrimination and a hostile work environment while assigned to Troop A,” the report stated.
While many troopers did not report open hostility, it added, “the underlying implicit bias created a chilling and isolating effect."
For some troopers, “the covert prejudice” reflects Troop A’s patrol area — an often-rural region of about 2,100 square miles between the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean.
“It has been compared to the ‘South’ during the Civil Rights Era," the report said.
Troop A patrols state highways and some communities in six counties — Atlantic, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. A Strategic Investigations Unit is in Camden.
Two other troops also operate in South Jersey.
Troop C patrols towns in rural Burlington County, among other duties. It has stations in Bordentown and Southampton.
Troop D patrols the New Jersey Turnpike and has a Moorestown station.
Bias claims from current, former NJ troopers
A majority of interview subjects “believe that they were subjected to gender and race discrimination,” the report said. Some troopers, “mostly white,” said they never saw or experienced discrimination on the job.
According to the report, “egregious and disturbing events” at Troop A were worsened by hazing that was “significantly different” for female and minority troopers.“A couple of troubling examples include someone removing a trooper’s clothing and/or towel or both while they were in the shower, or purposefully responding slowly to the field when called on for assistance,” the report said.
It noted troopers typically did not file official complaints over bias incidents due to a fear of reprisal.
"The act of making a complaint against another enlisted trooper is allegedly perceived as an act of disloyalty and anyone who makes a complaint believes that they may be punished,” the report said.
Instead, many female troopers "self-selected out of Troop A,” while “Of Color troopers directly confronted” their harassers, the report said.
Most of those interviewed said that state police aren't taking equal employment opportunity and affirmative action complaints seriously. The report stated that "there are no consequences even when a complaint is substantiated."
What changes are ahead?
The attorney general's office proposed stripping control of equal employment opportunity and human resources functions from state police, among other responses to the report. Those duties would be absorbed into the New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety.
The report itself made 18 recommendations. These include annual training on implicit bias, sexual harassment and related topics, as well as a ban on hazing.
Kaufman Dolowich said its study, “while robust, was not expansive enough” to establish whether sexism and racism were rampant in state police ranks.
“Rather, there were scores of troopers who recounted experiences through anger, tears and distress,” its report said.
“Those feelings, emotions and experiences were real to them. No one else lived through their personal experiences and this process gave them a much-needed opportunity to be heard.”
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: 'Egregious & disturbing': NJ AG's report flags bias within South Jersey state police troop
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