WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Justice Department has announced that the Trenton Police Department (TPD) and the city of Trenton engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
A comprehensive investigation found that TPD unlawfully uses excessive force, including unreasonable forms of physical force and pepper spray when facing little resistance or danger. TPD also conducts stops, searches and arrests without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. In addition, the department identified deficiencies in training, supervision, policy and accountability that contribute to TPD and the city’s unlawful conduct.
“For too long, the residents of Trenton have felt afraid of the police, rather than protected by them,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. “The use of excessive force and unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests, sometimes with tragic consequences, have eroded public trust and undermined public safety. Today’s findings are the first step in achieving the reforms needed to rebuild public trust, so that the Trenton Police Department can effectively fight crime and keep residents safe, while respecting the constitutional rights of each and every person.”
The Justice Department found that TPD engaged in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, with police officers often escalating encounters when facing little resistance or threat. For example, in one incident from 2023, after initially using reasonable force to arrest a man, an officer stomped on the man’s hand multiple times once he was on the ground, kneeled on his head and kicked him in the shoulder.
TPD also conducted numerous stops and searches of pedestrians and cars without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, often unlawfully arresting the person they stopped and searched.
TPD’s violations have eroded community trust and cost the city more than $7 million since 2021 to resolve lawsuits stemming from accusations of officer misconduct.
The Justice Department opened this investigation on Oct. 17, 2023. Career attorneys and staff in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section conducted the investigation. The team conducted an extensive review of TPD’s records, including hundreds of police reports and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage. The team also interviewed city and TPD leadership and line officers, accompanied officers on ride-alongs and met with dozens of community members.
The city and TPD cooperated fully with the Justice Department’s investigation. The department provided a comprehensive written report of its investigative findings to the city and TPD. The report acknowledges the changes already made by the city and TPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures the Justice Department believes are necessary to address its findings.
Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601, the Justice Department conducted this investigation which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. Section 12601 authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking court-ordered remedies to eliminate a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.
The Justice Department will conduct outreach to members of the Trenton community to explain the findings and for input on remedies to address the findings. Individuals may also submit recommendations by email at USANJ.Community.Trenton@usdoj.gov or by phone at 973-645-2801.
The Justice Department will hold a community meeting at a date to be determined. Members of the pubic are encouraged to attend.
Additional information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is available at https://www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj. Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found at https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download. Additional information about civil rights enforcement at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement.
The government is represented by Michael Campion, Chief of the Civil Rights Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Junis L. Baldon and Nicole Taykhman of the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Rights Division; and attorneys from the Special Litigation Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 11-25-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2024)
- Total Mass Shootings: 533
- Total Dead: 635
- Total Wounded: 2218
- Shootings Per Day: 1.62
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of November 25: 330
ASIA
STOPPING PLASTICS POLLUTION IN SOUTH KOREA
Talks began in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 25 aiming to clinch a legally binding deal on plastics pollution, led by the UN Environment Program (UNEP).
The meeting follows two years of intergovernmental negotiations to develop a legally binding global instrument that covers land and the marine environment – a blink of an eye in diplomatic circles, where multilateral deals can be decades in the making.
“Our world is drowning in plastic pollution. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, much of which is quickly thrown away,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres via video message, as he urged delegates to push for a deal.
“By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Microplastics in our bloodstreams are creating health problems we’re only just beginning to understand.”
Expressing hope for a potentially historic deal, UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson insisted that it was “the moment of truth” to take action.
“Not a single person” on the planet wants plastic washing up on their shores or plastic particles circulating in their bodies, or their unborn babies, she maintained, adding that it was a sentiment shared by the G20 group of industrialized nations.
“Waste pickers, civil society groups are fully engaged; businesses are calling for global rules to guide this future; indigenous people are speaking out; scientists are calling out the science,” Ms. Anderson said.
“The finance sector is beginning to make the moves at the international level. There’s also been clear signals that a deal is essential, including the G20 declaration last week, which said that G20 leaders were determined to land this treaty by the end of the year.”
More than 170 countries and over 600 observer organizations have registered for one week of talks in the large port city of Busan, where South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol urged delegates to agree on a path to zero plastic pollution, for the sake of future generations.
“The excessive reliance of humanity on the convenience of plastics has resulted in an exponential increase in plastic waste; the waste accumulated in our oceans and rivers now jeopardizes the lives of future generations,” he said, via video link.
“I sincerely hope that over the coming week all Member States will stand together in solidarity – with a sense of responsibility for future generations – to open a new historic chapter by finalizing a treaty on plastic pollution.”
WORLD
THE FIGHT TO PROTECT WOMEN
A sobering report released by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Nov. 25 reveals that in 2023, 140 women and girls died every day at the hands of their partner or a close relative, which means one woman killed every 10 minutes.
Released on the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the report sheds light on the global crisis of femicide and calls for urgent action.
“The epidemic of violence against women and girls shames humanity,” said Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for the Day. “The world must heed this call. We need urgent action for justice and accountability, and support for advocacy.”
The report also coincides with the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, which runs from November 25 to December 10.
This year, the UNITE campaign is drawing attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women under the theme, “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNITE to End Violence against Women.”
Femicide transcends borders, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures, but its severity varies regionally.
According to the report, Africa recorded the highest rates of intimate partner and family-related femicides, with 21,700 women killed in 2023, followed by the Americas and Oceania.
In Europe and the Americas, most victims were killed by their intimate partners, comprising 64 percent and 58 percent of cases, respectively. In contrast, women in Africa and Asia were more likely to be killed by family members than by partners, reflecting varied cultural and social dynamics responsible for this discrimination.
Despite the alarming numbers, the lack of consistent and comprehensive data remains a significant challenge.
Only 37 countries reported data on intimate partner and family-related femicides in 2023, a sharp decline from 75 countries in 2020. This data gap hampers efforts to monitor trends and enforce accountability for these crimes.
UN Women and UNODC stressed the need for systematic data collection as part of a broader strategy to address violence against women. Accurate and transparent data is essential to inform policy, track progress, and ensure governments remain accountable for their commitments to gender equality.
UNITED KINGDOM
SHIELDING WHISTLEBLOWERS
NHS managers who silence whistleblowers or endanger patients through misconduct could be barred from working in the NHS, under proposals being announced by Health Secretary Wes Streeting this week.
A public consultation will be launched on Tuesday (26 November 2024) seeking views on government proposals to regulate health service managers, ensuring they follow professional standards and are held to account.
The Department of Health and Social Care will also consult on whether to introduce a new professional duty of candor on managers and, in addition, to make managers accountable for responding to patient safety concerns.
The changes are part of the government’s work to rebuild Britain and get the NHS back on its feet. They are designed to tackle a culture of cover up which has been found to be present in several patient safety scandals in recent years.
Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health, said, “To turn around our NHS we need the best and brightest managing the health service, a culture of transparency that keeps patients safe and an end to the revolving door that allows failed managers to pick up in a new NHS organization.
“Earlier this month the Secretary of State promised that as part of our 10 year plan for health we will reform the NHS so that it rewards success and acts decisively on failure.
“Today’s announcement builds on that promise and helps us build a health system that protects patients and is fit for the future.
Regulation will prevent the revolving door that allows individuals with a record of poor performance or misconduct to continue to work in the health service. It would deliver on the government’s manifesto commitment to introduce professional standards and regulate NHS managers.
Tens of thousands of clinical and non-clinical managers work in the NHS but there is currently no single regulatory framework for them in the same way as doctors and nurses.
Options being considered by the consultation include a voluntary accreditation register, statutory barring mechanisms and full statutory registration.
Patients, health and care staff, and professional bodies are also being asked for their views on whether to introduce a statutory duty of candor which would make NHS managers legally accountable for responding to concerns about patient safety.
At a minimum, all board level directors in NHS organizations in England, arm’s length body board level directors and integrated care board members will be under the new regulatory system.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks from Tuesday, after which the department will consider responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
The move follows the announcement of a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership to attract, develop and keep the best talent in NHS leadership.
Regulation will come alongside support and development, with managers being given the tools they need to meet standards with training offers.
