Justice Department Requests Applicants for Federal Monitor of Newark Police Department

NEWARK, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Justice is now accepting applications from individuals and organizations interested in serving as the federal monitor of the Newark Police Department (NPD), U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Vanita Gupta announced today. The Justice Department reached an agreement in principle with Newark to undertake wide-ranging reforms within the police department, including an independent court-appointed monitor, and to incorporate those reforms into a judicially enforceable consent decree.

A three-year investigation by the Justice Department and the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed a pattern or practice of constitutional violations in areas including stop and arrest practices, use of force, and theft by officers. The agreement and a summary of the Justice Department’s findings were announced in July 2014.

Selecting a monitoring team to oversee and implement the consent decree is an integral part of the reform process. The Justice Department invites all interested parties to submit applications to serve as the monitoring team of the NPD consent decree.  The monitoring team will assess and guide reforms in a number of areas, including: community engagement and civilian oversight; stops, searches, and arrests; use of force; bias-free policing; theft by officers; intake and investigation of misconduct complaints; and police discipline. The monitoring team is expected to serve for at least five years. Successful candidates will have experience in evaluating organizations, measuring organizational change, and engaging with diverse communities, as well as expertise in law enforcement practices and statistical analysis, and familiarity with federal, New Jersey, and local criminal and civil rights laws. Applications must include the qualifications of each team member, a list of prior experience and references, a scope of work detailing the methods and activities the team would use to implement the consent decree, a list of all potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and a cost proposal.

The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 13, 2015. The Justice Department, in consultation with the City of Newark, will select the monitoring team from applications received by that date.

The request for applications is available at: Request for Applications . The Department’s findings report and the agreement in principle can be found here: Agreement & Findings . For more information about the Civil Rights Division, please visit the Division’s website, Civil Rights Division .

Federal civil rights complaints specific to New Jersey can be directed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office civil rights complaint hotline at 855-281-3339 or can be submitted by filling out a complaint form at: Civil Rights Enforcement.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This request is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. This request is not part of, and shall not be governed by, any formal municipal, state, or federal procurement process. This request does not commit the parties to select an individual or firm to serve as the Monitor or a member of the monitoring team. The parties may solicit additional information from applicants to supplement information provided in response to this request. Responders are advised that the parties will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this request; all costs associated with responding to this request will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future request for applications, if any is issued, nor does it eliminate an individual or firm from being considered for the monitor or a member of the monitor’s team.