Police & jail misconductOversight & ethics enforcement

DOJ found Trenton police used excessive force and made unconstitutional stops and arrests, then dropped the case without any consent decree

Confidence: Confirmed · 4 sourcesTrenton · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Trenton Police Department

Reed Gusciora, Mayor of Trenton

U.S. Department of Justice

Also named

Oversight

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

Advocate

New Jersey Office of the Public Defender

What happened

On November 21, 2024, DOJ's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey found a pattern or practice of Trenton police using excessive force, including unreasonable physical force and pepper spray, and unlawfully stopping, searching and arresting people, citing inadequate supervision, accountability and training. The investigation followed the shooting and paralyzing of a young Black man by an officer after a stop in which officers did not tell him why he was stopped, per the Associated Press. On May 21, 2025, DOJ announced it was closing the Trenton investigation and retracting its findings, with no consent decree or court-enforceable reforms. At the time of the November 2024 findings, Mayor Reed Gusciora said the city would work to implement the report's recommendations; the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender criticized the DOJ's decision to end the inquiry.

Sources (4)

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights DivisionTPD uses excessive force, including unreasonable forms of physical force and pepper spray, and unlawfully stops, searches, and arrests people during pedestrian and traffic stops.

CNNThe Justice Department found a pattern of misconduct by police in New Jersey's capital, including excessive force and unlawful stops.

New Jersey Office of the Public DefenderStatement from Director Rue following the termination of DOJ's investigation into Trenton police practices, expressing concern over the abrupt end to the pattern-or-practice inquiry.

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public AffairsThe Civil Rights Division is also closing investigations into local police departments in Phoenix, Arizona; Trenton, New Jersey ... and retracting the findings from those investigations.

Response

Trenton Police Department

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

Reed Gusciora

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

U.S. Department of Justice

Not yet contacted

Not yet contacted for this story.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

I saw an update

Take action →