Police Accountability Project of the
New Jersey Libertarian Party
P.O. Box 5424
Somerset, NJ 08875
October 3, 2013
New Jersey State Police
Office of Professional Standards
810 Bear Tavern Road
Suite 310
West Trenton, NJ 08628 (via Fax to 609-882-2033)
Dear Sir or Madam:
I chair the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Police Accountability Project and ask that you accept this letter as our Internal Affairs complaint. We would like your agency to investigate whether New Jersey State Troopers Munyon and Tortella and other personnel employed by your agency acted in accordance with department policy and the law regarding their interaction with Dominque Ziegler and Charles McCoy on August 4, 2011.
According to the Appellate Division decision in State v. McCoy, Docket No. A-2229-12T4 (on-line here), the Troopers apparently coerced Ms. Ziegler into involuntarily consenting to a search of her car. This caused both the trial and appellate courts to to suppress the drugs later found in the vehicle.
If these Troopers, despite having received adequate training and direction regarding when and how to obtain conduct for warrantless searches elected to ignore their training, we ask that you discipline them. Otherwise, we ask that your department review and supplement your training requirements in this area of the law.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Very truly yours,
John Paff, Chairman
New Jersey Libertarian Party
Police Accountability Project
P.O. Box 5424
Somerset, NJ 08875-5424
Phone: 732-873-1251 – Fax: 908-325-0129
Email: [email protected]
–Subsequent action
10/22/13 – Captain Bud Scott of the Office of Professional Standards “determined that the troopers did not violate any of the New Jersey State Police Standard Operating Procedures, Rules and Regulations, or Laws of the State Of New Jersey.” Click here for Scott’s letter.
