Knowledge is power in the
Mercer County Conference
The Mercer County Conference opened its doors to Mercer
County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri to review the procedures for
investigating police use-of-force incidents.
“He is truly a friend of law enforcement,” stated Ewing
Township Local 111 State Delegate Michael Pellegrino, who also
serves as the Mercer County Conference chairman.
Onofri introduced a PowerPoint presentation to members at
the Mercer County Conference meeting with the goal of
equipping officers with the knowledge to protect themselves in
the aftermath of shooting incidents.
“Just because you wear blue doesn’t mean you don’t have
rights,” asserted Onofri.
With the number of police-involved shooting incidents across
the country, Onofri offered an in-depth look at the statewide procedures and practices for investigating and reviewing police useof-force incidents.
“This is invaluable to the membership to have this access to
Prosecutor Onofri and his knowledge on this topic,” acknowledged Pellegrino. “The more informed we are on this topic, the
more protected we are.”
The presentation provided an overview into the supplemental
Attorney General’s directive from July 28 that Onofri explained
takes additional steps to ensure independence and transparency.
The prosecutor also outlined the two review processes for police
shootings – officer-involved shooting (OIS) and shooting
response team (SRT).
Onofri addressed the post-closure public statement, where a
case is not presented to a grand jury or the grand jury votes for no
criminal charges. At this time the county prosecutor must issue a
public statement setting forth findings of a shooting investigation
and findings regarding justification for use of force without naming the officer.
“The officer still has the cloak of innocence around them at this
time of the investigation,” recognized Onofri. “We have to do
everything we can to preserve officers’ protection.” d
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri addresses Mercer County
Conference members on police use-of-force investigation processes
under the new supplemental Attorney General's directive unveiled in
July.
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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NOVEMBER 2015
67