On March 29, 1921, the New Jersey Legislature passed a law that created the State Police. In the 100 plus years since, that organization has been staffed by carefully selected and trained officers who, for the most part, have earned the respect and admiration of the people of New Jersey, other states and many law enforcement agencies. However, in 1999, the United States Department of Justice sued the State Police and the State of New Jersey for “…intentional discrimination…in performing vehicle stops and post-stop enforcement actions and procedures, including searches of African American motorists traveling on New Jersey highways.”

At the end of 1999, the Federal District Court of New Jersey approved a consent decree that settled the litigation and committed the state to a series of reforms that were designed to eliminate the aforesaid discrimination. By June 2006, federal monitors that had been appointed to assure compliance with the reforms reported that the State Police had achieved compliance with the obligations of the consent decree.