the New Jersey State Police Department is facing new scrutiny after an investigation by the New York Times found traffic enforcement on the state's busiest highways sharply declined for an eight-month period beginning in July 2023 the report from the times's Tracy Tully finds citations for speeding drunken driving cell phone use and other moving violations plummeted by 81% across the state that month compared with the year before and according to data obtained for the report it continued unabated until March 2024 at the same time New Jersey also saw an almost immediate uptick in motor vehicle crashes according to the investigation the diminished traffic enforcement is now the subject of a criminal investigation by New Jersey attorney general Matt platkin because the inaction by Troopers began about a week after a report commissioned by a former Attorney General was released showing glaring racial disparities in traffic stops followed by an internal memo sent to the rank and file by Union leadership warning them that every stop and action taken will be highly scrutinized union leaders defended their actions saying they'd never advis Troopers to stop doing their job [Music]