A former Princeton University Department of Public Safety officer has been included in the list of New Jersey law enforcement officers who were subject to major discipline between June 15 and Dec. 31, 2020, in a report released by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Former Department of Public Safety Sgt. Stephen Solovey was terminated for failing to follow department policies and protocols for handling reports of intoxication of Princeton University community members, according to the report released Aug. 10.
Princeton University officials declined to comment.
The report is the first one issued by the state Office of the Attorney General, under a directive issued by former Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. The directive calls for listing the names of law enforcement officers who were subject to major discipline for infractions.
Major discipline is defined as a police officer’s actions that result in termination, demotion or suspension for more than five days.
Grewal issued the directive two months ago, following a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that authorized the release of certain police disciplinary information. The report will be released annually.
Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said the report marks an important step for New Jersey, as it joins the majority of U.S. states that disclose the identity of law enforcement officers found responsible for engaging in serious disciplinary violations.
“We are releasing this information not to shame or embarrass individual officers, but to provide the same type of transparency and accountability in policing that New Jersey mandates in other essential professions,” Bruck said in a statement.
Bruck said the majority of law enforcement officers perform their duties and “serve the public with honor and integrity, doing the right thing day in and day out” for their communities.
“I take no joy in putting this information out, but we are doing this because it is an important and necessary step to build greater public trust while promoting professionalism in law enforcement,” Bruck said.
The information regarding the major discipline report is available at www.njoag.gov/majordiscipline.