Fewer traffic tickets spurs special investigation into NJ State Police

🚔 State police are giving less traffic tickets

🚔 Officials are concerned it may be related to an increase in deaths

🚔 Special counsel has been appointed to investigate

The Attorney General's Office has noticed that New Jersey State Police have been more lenient on the roads.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced on Wednesday that he had appointed a special counsel to investigate why State Police are issuing fewer traffic tickets.

Platkin said there had been an "unprecedented slowdown" in traffic enforcement from July 2023 to March 2024. He said the investigation was already underway.

"I have ordered a full investigation into how this slowdown was orchestrated, which will ensure both accountability for those involved while also protecting against such conduct occurring again in the future," Platkin said.

More deaths on NJ roads

The attorney general said he was concerned that more leniency on New Jersey's roads had coincided with more crashes and deaths.

Fatal crashes in 2024 have been trending higher than in 2023, according to NJSP data. More than 500 people had died in crashes as of Oct. 9, 2024. At the same date last year, the number of deaths was 446.

Pedestrian deaths in New Jersey this year have also far surpassed the number of pedestrian deaths for 2023.

Story about special investigation continues below.

Who is the special counsel investigating NJSP?

Platkin said he's appointed Preet Bharara as special counsel to investigate why state police are writing fewer tickets.

"I am deeply honored by the confidence placed in me to conduct a fair and rigorous investigation on behalf of the people of New Jersey, who deserve a thorough accounting of the facts," Bharara said.

Platkin said he gave Bharara "full authority" of the OAG to investigate.

Bharara, an attorney, is a partner at WilmerHale, an international law firm. He also hosts a podcast "Stay Tuned with Preet" to discuss legal topics in the news.

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He served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017. As Manhattan's top prosecutor, Bharara was featured on the cover of TIME for expanding the office's work to make busts for insider trading.

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