Northeast
Obama-era prosecutor's probe into blue state police racial bias claims called 'untenable' for troopers
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.
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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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NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — Hundreds of employees will be laid off from Stanley Black & Decker’s New Britain manufacturing plant on Monday.
The world’s largest tool company confirmed the closure of the New Britain plant in February with a wave of layoffs.
About 300 employees are expected to be laid off in five different waves. According to a company notice, the brunt of the layoffs is expected to occur between Monday and May 18. Approximately 287 employees are expected to have their positions terminated.
The plant on Stanley Drive produced “single-sided tape measures,” and Stanley Black & Decker said those aren’t in demand like they used to be.
Company officials said they’re supporting impacted employees by offering employment at other facilities, severance, and job placement support services.
The closure of the facility has sparked disappointment among state lawmakers, including State Rep. Dave DeFronzo (D-Conn.), New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D-Conn.) and former mayor Erin Stewart (R-Conn.).
They were built decades ago in some of the most picturesque spots across Maine — manmade mountains of granite and brick, concrete and steel, rising beside rivers that powered the state’s booming textile industry through the 1800s and 1900s.
Now, these old mills are increasingly being converted to housing and other purposes. In Biddeford’s sprawling mill district, a variety of housing projects have been completed or are underway, including 154 apartments in the former Pepperell Mill that are being leased or sold as condominiums.
Two of the most recent conversions are Picker House Lofts, a mixed-income rental property in Lewiston, and The Spinning Mill, a housing and commercial project in Skowhegan. Both opened last year.
The Spinning Mill, including 41 apartments, a boutique hotel and a restaurant, received a 2026 Honor Award from Maine Preservation for excellence in historic preservation and rehabilitation.
Here’s a look at those three mill conversions.
The Spinning Mill
Location: Skowhegan, Somerset County
Waterfront: Kennebec River
Year built: 1922
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 41
Monthly rent: $1,510-2,750, utility and amenity fees vary
In its peak years, the Maine Spinning Co. employed 300 people and produced 2 million pounds of wool yarn annually in the heart of the downtown district, closing in 2005. High Tide Capital of Bangor purchased the site in 2019 and began a $20 million residential and commercial redevelopment project.
The conversion suffered a major setback in December 2023, when the storm-churned Kennebec fooded the first floor, causing more than $3 million in damage. An economic recovery grant from the state helped the developers clean up and continue.
The adaptive reuse respected the building’s history, preserving wooden floors and high ceilings, oversized windows and exposed brick walls. Modern plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems were installed, along with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
The four-story building includes studio through three-bedroom units, ranging from 630 to 1,300 square feet. Amenities include a fitness center, mini movie theater, coworking space, resident lounge and art studio. The property also includes The Skowhegan, a 20-room boutique hotel, and the Biergarten, a German-themed restaurant and event space with riverside patio.
Contact: Yates Murphy, The Spinning Mill, 207-951-6475
Picker House Lofts
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Location: Lewiston, Androscoggin County
Waterfront: Androscoggin River
Year built: 1855
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 72
Monthly rent: $1,495-2,000 (26 market-rate units); $801-1,332 (46 subsidized); heat, hot water and basic Wi-Fi included
Part of the 7-acre Continental Mill complex, Picker House Lofts is a 79,000-square-foot, mixed-income rental property developed by The Szanton Co. of Portland. The remaining 481,000 square feet of former factory space is being developed to include more than 300 additional apartments along with office, retail and light industrial uses by Chinburg Properties of Newmarket, New Hampshire.
Named for its original function, the five-story building is where workers called “pickers” removed seeds, twigs and other debris from raw cotton before it was woven into cloth.
It includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 46 reserved for households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, which ranges from $35,880 for a single person to $51,240 for four people, according to MaineHousing.
The developers preserved historic features where possible, including wood floors, huge operable windows and 13-foot ceilings with exposed overhead carrying beams, while adding modern fixtures, utilities and appliances.
Amenities include a fitness center, indoor bike storage, landscaped courtyard with picnic tables and a communal lounge with adjoining roof deck that overlooks the Androscoggin River. It’s located downtown near a farmers market, museums and a park with a fitness court.
Contact: Saco Falls Management, 207-228-8800
Pepperell Mill
Location: Biddeford, York County
Waterfront: Saco River
Year built: 1845
Year renovated: 2008
Number of units: 154
Monthly rent: $1,695-2,995, utilities and wifi included
Originally converted by local developer Doug Sanford, apartments in the Pepperell Mill Campus retain many historic features from its textile-weaving past, including 10- to 18-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and beams, and honey-colored maple floors.
Now owned and managed by Texas-based Presidium, the property is available to lease or purchase residential units as they come on the market, providing what the company calls a “try before you buy” opportunity. It’s part of a 17-acre complex in the heart of a downtown that includes a variety of small businesses, artists, restaurants, breweries and coffee shops.
Apartments range from economical studios to luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom units that include washer-dryer hookups. Available condos are priced from $325,000 to $1.5 million, according to Portside Real Estate Group.
Units feature modern finishes and oversized, industrial-style windows, many with views of the Saco River. Amenities include smart laundry facilities, green spaces with seating areas and gas grills, riverside picnic areas and a dog-washing station.
Contact: Pepperell Mill Campus, 207-282-5577, Ext. 201
Massachusetts
Thousands join Walk for Hunger in Boston: ‘Critical response to rising food insecurity’
Thousands joined Project Bread’s 58th annual Walk for Hunger on Sunday to combat what organizers called a critical and rising problem of food insecurity in Massachusetts.
“There is no reason any person in Massachusetts should not be able to put food on the table,” said Project Bread President and CEO Erin McAleer. “And yet, more people are struggling now than ever. Every one of us has a role to play in making a difference, and the Walk for Hunger is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”
The walk — representing the nation’s oldest continually running pledge walk, according to Project Bread — raised the targeted $1 million in funds to fight hunger in the state as participants made their way around the family-friendly and accessible 3-mile loop around Boston Common.
Project Bread, which organizes the fundraiser along with over 600-member Make Hunger History Coalition, noted that the walk is an “immediate opportunity” for people to take action as food insecurity rises in Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, 40% of households are experiencing food insecurity, the organization said, and “rising food prices and potential changes to federal nutrition programs, including SNAP, threaten to deepen the challenge.” Local organizations in Greater Boston are continuing to prepare for additional strain, they added.
Project Bread joined food aid organizations and public officials to meet an “impossible task” as the government shutdown temporarily cut off SNAP benefits last November, at the same time as an estimated 3.5 million have lost SNAP benefits nationwide due to policy changes under the Trump administration last July.
The 3,500 participants Sunday represented 216 towns across Massachusetts, while additional walkers from 23 states and five countries participated virtually, organizers said. The event featured live music, food vendors, games, a cooking demonstration, and remarks from local leaders on the Common.
The funds raised support Project Bread’s “comprehensive approach to food security,” tackling areas like policy advocacy, prevention strategies and more, as well as supporting the work of 68 anti-hunger organizations who participate in the event and keep 60% of the funds they generate.
The walk highlights “how families across the Commonwealth—particularly in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities—continue to face difficult tradeoffs between food and other basic needs,” Project Bread said. At the same time, the organization called the state “uniquely positioned to lead the nation in ending hunger through coordinated policy, healthcare integration, and community-led solutions.”
“It’s a great day and more importantly, a powerful one because the strength of our community coming together can drive real change for those who need it most,” McAleer said.
Project Bread offers a toll-free Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 for those experiencing food insecurity, providing confidential assistance to connect with food resources in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired, as well as more information on projectbread.org/get-help.
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