Gusciora buys fake credentials to render the illusion of police accountability

As Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora heads into a potentially contentious battle for his third four-year term in the 2026 municipal election, facing a growing field of challengers, his administration is citing a dubious authority to support claims that it meets the highest professional standards in law enforcement.

The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) has bestowed its accreditation on the same Trenton Police Department that the U.S. Department of Justice, in a blistering 45-page report, found engaged in a “pattern or practice of misconduct that deprives people of their rights under the Fourth Amendment.”

It is the same department where officers “conduct illegal pedestrian stops and searches,” “arrest people without a legal basis,” and “use unreasonable force against people who are not threatening them.”

It is the same department where an officer shot Jajuan Henderson four times as he sat in his parked car, leaving him paralyzed, and where a 64-year-old man died after being pepper-sprayed and thrown to the ground.

Gusciora insists that prestigious recognition was awarded, but critics note that the organization that gave city police its seal of approval is not qualified to do so.

So who is the NJSACOP to declare this department a model of professional standards? The answer, it turns out, is an organization that is itself a monument to the very culture of impunity it purports to police.

The Fox Guarding the Henhouse

The NJSACOP is not a government oversight body. It has no legal authority to investigate, discipline or prosecute officers for misconduct. It is a professional association — a club for police chiefs.

And like any good club, its primary function is to protect its members, not hold them accountable. Its accreditation program is a voluntary, self-policing exercise. It is the equivalent of a restaurant giving itself a five-star rating.

This is the same organization that filed a legal brief opposing the state’s takeover of the Paterson Police Department, even after a crisis of confidence sparked by the fatal police shooting of a crisis intervention worker. The NJSACOP’s instinct is to defend the status quo, close ranks and resist external oversight that might threaten the prerogatives of its members.

“This accreditation reflects our commitment to providing the residents of Trenton with professional, accountable, and effective law enforcement,” said Gusciora. “It demonstrates that our Police Department is dedicated to continuous improvement, transparency, and adherence to the highest standards of public service.”

Accreditation has not been proven to improve police response time, reduce crime, or cut costs to taxpayers, but the initial fee of $5,000 re-accreditation cost of $1,500 every three years will allow Gusciora to make some pretentious claims on the campaign trail.

A Leadership Riddled With Aberrations

The NJSACOP’s claim to be an arbiter of the “highest professional standards” is further undermined by the conduct of its own leadership.

The 2026-27 Board of Officers is a who’s who of police departments with troubling use-of-force records. Data drawn from the NJ Advance Media “Force Report” reveals a pattern that is difficult to ignore.

Chief Giacomo Sacca of the Elizabeth Police Department, first vice president, leads a department with 53.9 use-of-force incidents per 1,000 arrests, ranking higher than 424 other departments in the state.

Sacca’s officers average 6.4 incidents per officer, well above the statewide average of 4.1. Black people in Elizabeth are 76% more likely than white citizens to have force used against them.

Chief Robert Lloyd of the Wildwood Crest Police Department, fourth vice president, leads a department with 52.6 use-of-force incidents per 1,000 arrests, ranking higher than 420 other departments. Black people are 96% more likely than white individuals to have force used against them based on arrests.

Chief Matthew Geist of the Middlesex Police Department, treasurer, and Chief Andrew Caggiano of the Montville Township Police Department, immediate past president, both lead departments with rates exceeding 38 incidents per 1,000 arrests, ranking higher than more than 340 other departments.

Chief Frank LoSacco of the East Brunswick Police Department, third vice president, oversees a department where Black people are 308% more likely than white folks to have force used against them.

Chief Matthew Brenner of the East Greenwich Township Police Department, second vice president, while leading a department with a lower overall rate of force, oversees the greatest racial disparity among the group’s departments: Black individuals are 340% more likely than white individuals to have force used against them.

These are the men who lead the organization that certified the Trenton Police Department as reformed.

Their own departments exhibit the same problems — excessive force and racial disparities — that the Department of Justice documented in Trenton. If these are the “professional standards” the NJSACOP holds up as a model, then its accreditation is not a mark of excellence. It is a badge of shame.

A Political Vendetta Against Accountability

The NJSACOP’s actions are not occurring in a vacuum. They are part of a broader campaign against police accountability in New Jersey.

The recent push for legislation, S4613, to remove the New Jersey State Police from the oversight of the attorney general’s office is a direct attack on transparency and civil rights.

The bill, which has been condemned by a coalition of racial justice and advocacy groups, would strip away one of the few independent checks on a law enforcement agency with a “long, well-documented history of racism embedded in their culture.”

By accrediting Trenton, the NJSACOP is sending a clear message: The findings of the U.S. Department of Justice, the recommendations of the attorney general’s office and the concerns of communities of color are irrelevant.

It is signaling that police departments can engage in constitutional violations with impunity, provided they comply with internal procedures and standards established by their own chiefs.

The Verdict

The NJSACOP was never qualified to judge the Trenton Police Department. Its accreditation is a fraud — a public relations exercise designed to launder the reputation of a deeply troubled agency.

The organization’s leadership comes from departments that themselves have troubling records of excessive force and racial disparities. Its history is one of shielding police from accountability.

Gusciora said this accreditation represents an important milestone in the city’s ongoing efforts to build public trust and strengthen accountability, but it won’t ensure that Trenton residents receive high-quality police services.

The people of Trenton, and of New Jersey, deserve better. They deserve a system of police oversight that is independent, rigorous and transparent. They deserve an attorney general with the authority to hold police accountable, not a Legislature seeking to weaken that authority.

And they deserve to see the NJSACOP for what it is: a trade association that has confused its mission of advocating for police chiefs with a license to shield police misconduct.

Five candidates have stepped forward to challenge Gusciora: former Councilwoman Robin Vaughn, NAACP Trenton Branch President Austin Edwards, Councilwoman Jasi Edwards, police Detective Corey McNair, and retired police officer Rolando Ramos, a 26-year veteran of the Trenton Police Department.

Observers say the large field is likely to divide the anti-incumbent vote, making Gusciora the strong favorite even if he does not deserve a third term.