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The fight occurred at Bridgewater Commons Mall in Somerset County in February 2022 outside of Bloomingdale's and triggered a viral response on social media.
The public's trust is fragile and if a local administrative review is not completed soon, Platkin said he will release his non-public September 2022 report to the public.
The local review "process has taken an inordinate length of time and further delay only frustrates and frays the fragile trust between the public and the law enforcement community," Plakin said on Friday, Feb. 10.
The police response resulted in one juvenile, a 14-year-old black male, being forced to the ground and handcuffed, while a physically larger 15-year-old, who is of Colombian and Pakistani heritage and who was perceived to be white, was placed on a sofa and not handcuffed.
The incident draw much public attention on social media and more than 1,000 complaints to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bridgewater Police Department, alleging discriminatory conduct based on race by the officers, the attorney general said.
Both juveniles were later released to their parents, and no charges were filed against either child.
The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) within the Office of the Attorney General and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the incident. On July 1, 2022, the Attorney General’s Office formally superseded the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and assigned the matter to the OPIA.
In September 2022, OPIA completed its investigation and sent a comprehensive Internal Affairs Report and Findings to the Acting Chief of the Bridgewater Township Police Department. Since that time, the matter has been proceeding in the local administrative process over which Platkin's Office has no control.
The Attorney General retains the authority to release these reports and has also issued directives requiring release under specific circumstances.
"Given the nature of the conduct, the seriousness of the allegations, as well as the public’s interest in this case, the Attorney General has made clear that he will release the Report and Findings to the public at the appropriate time," Platkin said Friday.
"If the local administrative process is not concluded promptly, the Attorney General will reassess whether the Report and Findings should be released prior to the conclusion of the administrative proceedings that have been ongoing for more than four months," Platkin said.
“I am committed to strengthening the trust the public has in the brave officers who serve in law enforcement. To do so we must have increased transparency and accountability in policing, and we are making great strides in that effort,” Platkin. said.
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