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I spent a lot of time this summer reporting on and thinking about the existing structures for police officers to complain about their own departments. It came from a question I see lay people ask all the time: Why don't more cops speak out?
Here's what we found. https://twitter.com/njdotcom/status/1322861807787216896
Here's what we found. https://twitter.com/njdotcom/status/1322861807787216896
Kamil Warraich is a cop in Asbury Park. In 2017, he wrote what he thought was a confidential memo to his county prosecutor complaining about his treatment and alleging his PD wasn't following state internal affairs guidelines.
Then this happened.
Then this happened.
Two years later, Warraich was under another internal affairs investigation, this time for allegedly telling a rookie cop not to enforce the law (a charge he denies). In a memo, he complained -- maybe a bit dramatically -- about the culture of the department.
Look what happened.
Look what happened.
Meanwhile, Warraich blew the whistle on a fellow officer whose Facebook account was filled with racist, sexist and homophobic posts. That officer received some unspecified discipline but remains on the job.
There are layers upon layers of police oversight in New Jersey, but they do not work hand-in-glove. Three times now, Warraich has seen his complaints about police and prosecutors land on the desks of the very same people he accused of wrongdoing.
This is not a unique problem. I talked to a former detective at the state AG's office who was forced out of his job for complaining about colleagues. It took nearly a decade, but taxpayers funded his $1.3 million settlement. Here's his take on returning to law enforcement:
Police transparency advocates, which include wrongly convicted prisoners and whistleblower cops, point to two potential reforms: A bill that would make IA records public and one that would beef up the powers of civilian review boards.
Both bills have yet to get a hearing.
Both bills have yet to get a hearing.
One last note: People often want a "villain" and a "hero" in stories like this, but it's not that simple. Police officers have their own baggage and secrets. Departments have "good" people who look the other way. This is a structural problem that requires structural solutions.
P.S. - please subscribe to a newspaper (preferably mine, but any newspaper!). This stuff takes time and effort.
