Internal Affairs Complaint against Raritan Township Police Officer

Police Accountability Project of the New Jersey Libertarian Party

March 1, 2017

Lieutenant Al Payne
Internal Affairs Unit
Raritan Township Police Department
2 Municipal Drive
Flemington, NJ 08822            (Via Fax to 908-782-1060)

Dear Lieutenant Payne:

I chair the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Police Accountability Project and ask that you accept this letter as our Internal Affairs complaint. We would like your agency to investigate Officer (now Sergeant) Benedict Donaruma's July 30, 2013 motor vehicle stop of Donna Alessi.

According to a March 1, 2017 Appellate Division opinion, Donaruma's stop of Alessi's vehicle was "an unconstitutional stop and seizure." The court suppressed the statement that Alessi made to Donaruma after the illegal traffic stop resulting in a reversal of Alessi's conviction and a remand for a new trial.

If Donaruma, despite having received adequate training and direction regarding traffic stops elected to ignore his training, we ask that you discipline him. Otherwise, we ask that your department review and supplement your training requirements in this area of the law.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Very truly yours,

John Paff, Chairman
New Jersey Libertarian Party
Police Accountability Project
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

--Subsequent action

03/06/17 - Complaint acknowledged by Raritan Police. Click here.
04/24/17 - Complaint "administratively dismissed." Click here.