by TChris

Federal oversight of internal investigations of misconduct by the New Jersey state police, implemented in 1999 after the state admitted that troopers engaged in racial profiling to make traffic stops, will end in response to a joint request made by the U.S. Justice Department and the state attorney general's office. Those agencies say that an internal affairs unit is doing an admirable job of handling complaints against officers and no longer needs oversight. Monitoring of other functions of the state police would continue under the judge's order.

Critics, including State Senator Nia Gill, complain that they weren't given notice of the proposal to end the monitoring and didn't have a chance to respond. Sen. Gill believes that all concerned parties should be heard before the judge decides whether to end the monitoring.

Minority leaders and civil rights groups plan to challenge the ruling, saying the consent decree that mandated the overall monitoring should not be lifted piecemeal. They also claim that questions remain about whether the internal affairs unit has truly reformed its practices.