Newark police have been ordered to let most suspects walk free it they have warrants with under $500 bail.
Under a new policy implemented on April 25, Newark police will no longer be allowed to arrest suspects who have outstanding, non-indictable warrants under $500, with the exception of those pertaining to domestic violence incidents, according to a City of Newark press release.
Officers will still be allowed to stop people who have outstanding bench or traffic warrants under the $500 threshold, but only to make sure they are aware they have a warrant and to let them know how to resolve it, Newark Public Safety Director Brian O’Hara said in the release.
“The last thing people need right now is to lose time from their jobs and families for these minor offenses,” O’Hara opined.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the aim of the new policy is to make it easier on alleged offenders.
The city wants to “lessen [offenders’] burdens, not make them worse,” especially during the pandemic, Baraka said.
Under the new policy, which went into effect immediately and will remain in effect indefinitely, officers will still be required to write up a report about their contact with the wanted person, including the outstanding warrant number, offense information, the date issued, the bail amount, and updated contact information for the offender, the city said in the press release.
Although officers will still be expected to complete those reports and perpetuate a cycle of having to complete future reports for the same issue indefinitely, O’Hara said the policy change will help free officers up.
“This will allow the officers to remain on the streets, in the neighborhoods where their presence is needed,” he claimed.
It is unclear what the city plans to do in the event offenders fail to resolve their outstanding warrants after police let them go.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.