| On April 30, 2008, several officers with the police department in Camden, New Jersey, arrested 20-year-old Joseph Jackson and charged him with unlawful possession of a weapon. The police report said Jackson, who had a previous felony drug conviction, was in possession of a .40-caliber Taurus pistol.
In July 2008, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives opened an investigation into Jackson’s possible violation of federal law regarding weapon possession by a convicted felon.
A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey indicted Jackson on the weapons charge on September 9, 2008. Jackson pled guilty to the charge on February 9, 2009, and was sentenced on June 1, 2009, to 21 months in federal prison.
On March 19, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice began bringing indictments against five Camden police officers, charging them with a wide range of crimes and civil-rights violations, including planting evidence, falsification of reports, perjury, and theft.
The indictments followed an investigation by the FBI into the department after the Camden County Office of the Public Defender asked the internal affairs unit of the Camden Police Department to be more vigorous in its examination of complaints about officer misconduct.
Three of the officers—Kevin Parry, Jason Stetser, and their supervisor, Dan Morris—pled guilty. The other two— Antonio Figueroa and Robert Bayard—went to trial. Figueroa was convicted; Bayard was acquitted. Stetser was one of the officers involved in Jackson’s arrest.
Even before the first indictment against the officers, the Camden County Prosecutor had begun filing motions to vacate convictions and dismiss charges against defendants whose convictions were tainted by the apparent misconduct. Rather than waiting for individuals to come forward, the prosecutor’s office audited cases and then dismissed those that relied on the testimony or reports of the officers. As word of the dismissals spread, other potential victims of the officers’ misconduct came forward. Ultimately, judges threw out convictions and granted dismissals for around 70 defendants.
On May 19, 2010, the U.S. Attorney’s Office moved to vacate Jackson’s conviction. Its memorandum explaining the reasons for the motion was filed under seal. Judge Robert Kugler granted the motion and dismissed the charge against Jackson that day, releasing him from prison.
Following the indictments against Stetser and the other officers, defendants began filing lawsuits against the city and the officers for violations of their civil rights. The lead lawsuit was filed on July 29, 2010, by the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Joel Barnes. It was eventually joined with lawsuits filed in state and federal court by Jackson and 86 other persons, including several who were never convicted and had their charges dismissed after the misconduct by the officers was brought to light.
In his lawsuit, filed on November 24, 2010, Jackson said several officers, including Stetser, pinned him against the wall, pointed a gun at him, and tried to force him to acknowledge the weapon was his. Jackson said it wasn’t, but the officers insisted. He said the officers then beat him with their nightsticks. He said he passed out and woke up in a police transport vehicle, which took him to a local hospital, where he was treated and then released into police custody.
The lawsuits were settled on January 10, 2013, with Jackson and the other defendants sharing $3.5 million.
– Ken Otterbourg
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