New Jersey prosecutors have charged a police officer with allegedly stealing an Associated Press photojournalist’s camera bag during a protest at Delaney Hall last weekend.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the filing of the criminal charge related to third-degree theft on Thursday. The charged officer was Darryl Brown, a 43-year-old sergeant working for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Brown allegedly stole $10,000 worth of camera equipment from Angelina Katsanis on May 30 while she covered the anti-ICE protests going on at the immigration detention center in Newark. Katsanis was injured and taken to a nearby hospital when Brown allegedly snatched her bag. Davenport criticized the sergeant’s alleged misconduct.
“When an officer does what is alleged in this case, it is a disservice to the profession and the public,” the Democratic attorney general said in a statement. “I previously pledged that our Office would review allegations of improper conduct by law enforcement. We are doing exactly that, and this case is a result of that effort.”
“Let me be clear: absolutely no one is above the law,” she continued. “We will hold law enforcement accountable when they abuse the tremendous position of public trust that they occupy and choose to break the law.”
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said Brown “has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.” If convicted on the third-degree charge, Brown could face a sentence between three and five years and a maximum $15,000 fine.
Katsanis, who was left in a wheelchair as a result of her leg injury, was shocked by the officer’s alleged theft of her personal property.
“I’ve thought a lot about how the officers are supposed to be there to uphold the law and protect us and protect property — and this is the exact opposite of that,” she told the Associated Press.
Authorities recovered her belongings while executing a search warrant at Brown’s home on Wednesday, according to the complaint. Before they were retrieved, some of the missing items still had Katsanis’s name and phone number on them.
Delaney Hall has been the site of clashes between protesters and authorities, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Arrests continue to be made as the protests near two weeks.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) deployed state police to contain the tense situation last week before Newark officials stepped in. On Thursday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced that the Newark Police Division’s presence at Delaney Hall would be scaled back.
“We will not continue to spend [resources] and tax dollars in an already strapped budget to safeguard a privately-owned facility, especially when it places our officers at unnecessary risk,” Baraka said in a statement. “Nor will we ask our officers to engage in practices that contradict our values of fairness, restraint, and respect for human rights.”
NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES OPERATOR OF DELANEY HALL DETENTION CENTER
“Given the significant reduction in unrest, the City will begin scaling back its presence at Delaney Hall,” he added. “After tonight, NPD will focus on traffic management and public safety, ensuring the protection of both protesters and motorists.”
The Democratic mayor also urged “all protesters to remain peaceful,” even though the protesters have been escalating the violence as police officers try to handle the riots. Newark authorities previously lifted a curfew around the ICE facility on Tuesday.