By Elliot Hannon
Article Reprint
The Department of Justice released its findings from a three-year federal investigation into just how bad the Newark police force is on Tuesday—and the picture it painted of New Jersey’s largest police department isn’t pretty. “Newark police engaged in the excessive use of force, routinely stopped people on the street for no legitimate reason and regularly stole property from civilians,” the Associated Press reports. Just how often were those instances of abuse? “Police failed to provide a sufficient constitutional reason for about 75 percent of pedestrian stops,” according to the Star-Ledger. “Eighty-five percent of those stopped were black in a city where blacks make up 54 percent of the population.” The report also found officers resorted to force unconstitutionally, or unnecessarily, 20 percent of the time.