(Trenton) Attorney General Gurbir Grewal spoke before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Monday, December 10 regarding Assembly Bill No. 3115/Senate Bill No. 1036.
These bills would require the Attorney General to take over the investigation and grand jury presentation of every matter where a death occurs during an encounter with or while in custody of law enforcement. Below is his testimony.
“It is an important bill on a critically important subject matter.
I know firsthand the extraordinarily powerful emotions these incidents elicit, and the very difficult challenges these investigations bring.
I have sat with families who have lost loved ones, and I have also seen the heavy toll these fatal encounters take on the officers themselves.
I commend not only the sponsors, but also the groups here today in support of this legislation, for their advocacy and commitment.
One thing is abundantly clear: all of us are committed to improving transparency, accountability and trust between law enforcement in this state and the communities we serve.
That is precisely why I felt compelled to be here — to tell you in person, as the State’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, as someone who has conducted, overseen and reviewed these investigations, and as someone who is committed to improving police community relations, that this bill may, in the end, undermine public trust in law enforcement and will replace a system that already does everything that the sponsors seek to accomplish and much more.”