Northeast

Obama-era prosecutor's probe into blue state police racial bias claims called 'untenable' for troopers

Published

1 year ago

January 29, 2025

Press Room

Obama-era prosecutor's probe into blue state police racial bias claims called 'untenable' for troopers

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New Jersey State Police were facing accusations of racial profiling before a report revealed a sharp decline in traffic stops that coincided with a rise in crashes, some of them fatal.

Now they’re facing a special counsel investigation from the state attorney general’s office, leaving troopers in a difficult position as they try to protect the public as well as their own careers amid intense scrutiny that advocates see as anti-police.

“If you enforce traffic laws, crashes go down. If you do not enforce them, crashes go up,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association who spent three decades on the job. “Accidents are largely created by a disparity in speed, and unless we want to admit that, then we’re going to fix it.”

State troopers were accused of profiling minority drivers in a report from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability that looked at stops between 2009 and 2021. Then they were told by union leaders that every stop they made would go under the microscope, according to a New York Times report. For months, they made fewer stops than normal.

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New Jersey State Police conduct a roadside operation in an undated photo shared on the department’s X account. (New Jersey State Police/X)

A subsequent drop in traffic stops coincided with an 18% increase in crashes, some of which took lives, according to the paper, citing public records. The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The American public is going to have to decide, what do you want? Do you want cops to enforce the law, or do you want somebody here to adhere to some sort of manufactured or false or politically correct policy when it comes to enforcing the law?” Brantner Smith said. “It is a very untenable situation for the troopers, and frankly, it’s an untenable situation for the citizens.”

Days after the Times report, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced an investigation into how the matter “was orchestrated” and vowed accountability.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin speaks during a press conference at the Justice Department on March 21, 2024. Last month, Platkin tapped Preet Bharara, the Obama-era U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead a special counsel probe into allegations of misconduct against the New Jersey State Police. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“I am deeply disappointed that this well-deserved reputation for serving the public good has been tainted by the alleged and unprecedented slowdown in State Police traffic enforcement from approximately July 2023 to March 2024,” Platkin said in a statement announcing the special counsel probe. “I am particularly concerned that this slowdown may have coincided with increased crashes and fatalities on our roadways.”

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He appointed Preet Bharara, the Obama-era U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former lawyer for Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, as special counsel overseeing the probe.

A New Jersey State Police vehicle (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

Bharara, in a statement, said he was “deeply honored” by the appointment and pledged to “conduct a fair and rigorous investigation.”

Platkin said the investigation would not interfere with cooperation between his office and state police, agencies that are often required to work together to fulfill their purpose. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

POLICE SHORTAGES REPORTED NATIONWIDE AMID RECORD-LOW MORALE AND RECRUITMENT

Preet Bharara, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has been appointed to lead a special investigation into New Jersey state troopers. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

The state report, which analyzed traffic stops between 2009 and 2021, accused troopers of “enforcement practices that result in adverse treatment towards minority motorists.”

Branter Smith, however, downplayed concerns of profiling leading to the stops. More than 60% of the people pulled over were White drivers. Just under 19% were Black and around 13.5% were Hispanic.

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New Jersey State Police troopers stand guard in front of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Jan. 1, 2020. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

“Even during the day, when you’re sitting in traffic or you’re driving down the freeway, can you see the race of the person in front of you unless you pull up beside them?” she said. “And radar, when we’re talking about primarily speeding violations, radar doesn’t have a race setting.”

State police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Separately, state troopers were accused of giving preferential treatment to drivers who have friends and family in law enforcement, according to the New Jersey Comptroller’s Office. In about 27% of 500 traffic stops over a 10-day span in 2022, drivers who either showed a badge, a “courtesy card” or told the officer that they came from a law enforcement family were let go. The comptroller’s office also found that troopers ran “computer lookups” on Hispanic drivers almost twice as often as White drivers.

Brantner Smith likened the state reports and investigations to a backdoor campaign against police.

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“The public knows this, undoubtedly, that the police have been cut off at the knees,” she told Fox News Digital. “This is just a very soft way to be anti-police. It’s almost a way to defund the police without defunding, without talking about defunding them, without making anti-police statements publicly.”

Despite the pressure campaign, she said criminal charges against state police as a result of the special counsel investigation seem like a long shot based on how the Supreme Court has ruled on what police are responsible for.

“The most ridiculous part of this is the criminal investigation,” she added. “The most horrific part of it are these additional accidents.”

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Northeast

New York AG orders Manhattan hospital to resume gender-transition treatment for transgender youth

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

New York AG orders Manhattan hospital to resume gender-transition treatment for transgender youth

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New York Attorney General Letitia James is instructing a Manhattan hospital to resume offering gender-transition treatment to transgender youth after it ended such treatments last month over funding threats from the Trump administration.

NYU Langone’s decision to close its Transgender Youth Health Program violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws by “jeopardizing access to medically necessary healthcare for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” James wrote in a Feb. 25 letter first made public this week.

James’ office threatened “further action” if the hospital does not immediately resume offering hormone therapies, puberty blockers and other treatment to transgender youth.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is instructing a Manhattan hospital to resume offering gender-transition treatment to transgender young people. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

NYU Langone, one of the city’s largest hospital systems, said last month it would stop providing certain gender-transition treatments for patients under the age of 19.

“Given the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our Transgender Youth Health Program,” NYU Langone spokesman Steve Ritea said in a statement at the time. “We are committed to helping patients in our care manage this change. This does not impact our pediatric mental health care programs, which will continue.”

The hospital ceased admitting new patients into its transgender youth program last year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which aims to restrict gender-transition treatment for people under 19.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a proposal to cut federal Medicaid and Medicare funding to hospitals that provide these treatments to transgender young people. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Referencing Trump’s order, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services later announced a proposal to cut federal Medicaid and Medicare funding to hospitals that provide these treatments to transgender youth.

But the Feb. 25 letter signed by the attorney general’s health care bureau chief, Darsana Srinivasan, said the proposal did not officially change federal law and did not affect a “medical institution’s existing duties and obligations under New York law.”

“The sudden discontinuation of medically necessary transgender healthcare can have severe, negative health outcomes,” Srinivasan wrote. “Accordingly, the Attorney General is extremely concerned by your institution’s decision to cease the provision of care to this vulnerable, minority population.”

LETITIA JAMES SUES HHS OVER TYING FEDERAL FUNDS TO TRANSGENDER POLICY

NYU Langone said last month it would stop providing certain gender-transition treatments for patients under the age of 19. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The letter gives the hospital until March 11 to show its compliance, although it is unclear what steps would be taken if it fails to resume the treatments.

Several other hospitals across the country have also halted transgender youth treatments following Trump’s executive order and funding threats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Boston, MA

Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Charlotte plays Boston on 5-game win streak

Charlotte Hornets (31-31, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (41-20, second in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Celtics -6.5; over/under is 214.5

BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte is looking to keep its five-game win streak alive when the Hornets take on Boston.

The Celtics are 27-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is sixth in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 8.8.

The Hornets are 19-21 in conference matchups. Charlotte is 7-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 15.0 turnovers per game.

The Celtics average 15.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.7 more made shots on average than the 12.8 per game the Hornets allow. The Hornets average 16.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 13.9 per game the Celtics allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29 points, 7.1 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics. Payton Pritchard is averaging 17 points and 5.8 assists over the past 10 games.

Kon Knueppel is averaging 19.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 109.4 points, 50.7 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 6.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 98.5 points per game.

Hornets: 7-3, averaging 117.3 points, 47.8 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.2 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Neemias Queta: day to day (rest).

Hornets: Coby White: day to day (injury management).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Pittsburg, PA

2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2 young girls found dead in suitcases in Cleveland, police say

The bodies of two young girls were found inside suitcases in Cleveland, Ohio, police said on Tuesday.

In a press conference, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said on Tuesday that the bodies of the two girls were found in suitcases buried in shallow graves on Monday evening. One of the girls was believed to be between the ages of 8 and 13 years old, while the other was believed to be 10 to 14 years old. Neither girl was identified as of Tuesday night.

“This is a priority,” Todd said during Tuesday’s press conference. “This is a traumatic event for our officers, for the community, and this is just such a tragic incident, but we are trying to develop any leads we can.”

Police said there are no active missing persons reports in Cleveland that match the two victims.

Officials said someone walking their dog near East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue found what appeared to be a body inside a suitcase around 6 p.m. on Monday. When officers responded to the scene near Ginn Academy, they found one of the bodies stuffed in a suitcase in a shallow grave. The second shallow grave with the body stuffed in a suitcase was found after officers searched the area.

“This is a field close to the school over there,” Todd said. “This is just a residential neighborhood that I’m sure a lot of people do frequent.”

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has custody of the bodies and will identify the girls. Todd said there is no clear indication of possible causes of death for the girls or how long the girls were there.

“It was some time, so it’s not something that was recent,” Todd said.

There is no suspect, Todd added. Anyone with information can contact the Cleveland police at 216-623-5464.

“Usually in residential areas, you know what’s happening in your neighborhood, something just seems a little bit off,” Todd said. “That’s why we’re asking that anyone who has anything that they believe to be information directly related to or suspicious, that they give us a call.”

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