Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer Responds to Trenton Mayor’s Police Policy Announcement

Following Mayor Reed Gusciora’s press conference on Trenton PD’s new policies, Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer of Salvation and Social Justice issues a statement.

In response to Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora’s press conference today outlining Trenton Police Department’s new policies following the Department of Justice’s investigation, Rev. Dr. Charles F. Boyer, Executive Director of Salvation and Social Justice, issues the following statement: 

Trenton, New Jersey--- More police. More training. Higher salaries. These were among some of the recommendations offered at today’s press conference. This event was intended to outline a path forward for a police department that has been found to routinely violate the civil rights of countless Trenton residents. Claims, which up until a year ago with the launch of the DOJ investigation, had largely fallen on deaf ears. Instead, this press conference served as a platform for more empty rhetoric. 

Our communities are painfully aware that police agencies are among the few institutions that can be found guilty of gross and routine misconduct, abuse, and violence against the very communities they are tasked to protect and serve and still have the audacity to request and be granted more resources and opportunities to continue their harmful behavior. The absurdity knows no bounds. 

If we are serious about reforming a system that is rooted in the unjust targeting and brutalization of Black communities, then we must start by: 

• Establishing a Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) through Trenton local ordinance. This board will provide necessary oversight and accountability, ensuring that the voices of our community members are heard and that their concerns are addressed effectively. 

• Adopt statewide legislation for strong Civilian Complaint Review Boards bringing the model that was established in Newark in 2015 to communities throughout New Jersey. This legislation should include community representation, subpoena power, disciplinary power and the power to hold independent investigations. 

• Increase state, county and municipal funding of community-led crisis response teams as an alternative to police in the city of Trenton. The findings in this investigation further confirm that the best way to ensure the health and safety of Trenton  residents is to minimize the police footprint in the city and invest in community-led models of public safety 

• Enact Senate Bill 2348 codifying the Attorney General’s Use of Force Directive. In less than two months of taking office, the Trump administration has signed an executive order halting investigations of police departments that routinely violate civil rights. Codifying the Use of Force Directive would significantly strengthen protections against police use of force beyond this current administration and what has become an increasingly hostile federal government. 

We encourage Trenton residents to remember that power concedes nothing without demands. SandSJ will continue to engage the community for feedback, ensuring that the voices of the directly impacted are centered as we continue to fight for the liberation of our communities in 2025 and beyond.