Over 100 civilians have been killed by New Jersey law enforcement since 2019, yet only two officers have been indicted by grand juries–a lack of accountability that undermines trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. On August 28, 2025, AAPI New Jersey and advocates from Salvation and Social Justice, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, and the ACLU of New Jersey shared urgent recommendations on fatal police encounter investigations and grand jury presentations with the New Jersey Attorney General.
As the coalition wrote:
Although we understand that our system has bestowed wide latitude on police officers who use deadly force on duty, we have spoken with not only community members, but experienced prosecutors, criminal justice experts, and law enforcement officers who were deeply disturbed by the circumstances involved in Victoria Lee’s killing and the grand jury’s failure to indict the officer who recklessly shot her as her mother held her hand.
Victoria Lee’s case is only the most recent in a long line of over 100 fatal police encounters that have resulted in no-bill since New Jersey’s independent prosecutor law was established in January 2019, among them the killings of Andrew Washington and Najee Seabrooks in similar circumstances during mental health crises. In the six and a half years since the law passed, only two indictments of police officers have been returned and stood. As OPIA investigates the police killing of 68-year-old grandmother Deborah Terrell during a mental health call in New Brunswick, we are writing to share our urgent concerns and recommendations regarding fatal police encounter investigations.
The recommendations included:
- Removing the principle of “neutrality” from the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Grand Jury Presentations in Fatal Police Encounter Investigations, which has clearly and continuously been shown to fail to secure indictments even in such egregious officer-involved killings as that of Victoria Lee.
- Regular public reporting of the number, duration, and status of fatal police encounter investigations.
- Clearer guidance for local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors on addressing the status of officers involved in fatal police encounters during NJOAG’s 12-to-18-month-long investigations.
- That the NJOAG press office should be careful to not include unnecessary prejudicial information or characterizations in their updates and communications regarding fatal police encounter investigations.
- Unsealing grand jury deliberations and releasing grand jury transcripts for fatal police encounter presentations.
- Community engagement extending beyond the grand jury decision through any administrative investigations and reforms, encompassing longer-term work to rebuild trust between police departments and the people they protect and serve.
AAPI New Jersey and allies closed by requesting a meeting to discuss these recommendations.
For updates, visit the Justice for Victoria Lee website and follow the Justice for Victoria Lee Coalition on Instagram.
