Curfew For Lawrence Township; Police Chief Addresses Floyd Death

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ — The curfew put in place for Lawrence Township following the violence that broke out in Trenton Sunday night continued Tuesday night, police announced.

What began as peaceful protests in Trenton turned to violence in Trenton Sunday night, although the 27 people arrested in connection with the violence reportedly had nothing to do with the protests.

Following that violence, a curfew was instituted in Trenton and the surrounding municipalities, including Lawrence Township. It was in effect from 7 p.m. through 6 a.m. on both Monday and Tuesday nights. Read more here: Violence Follows Peaceful Protest In Trenton Over Floyd Killing

The protests come in response to the death of George Floyd in a police-involved incident in Minnesota last week.

Floyd, a black man, was handcuffed and lying face down on a Minneapolis street Monday when officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds. Floyd became unresponsive after 2 minutes, 53 seconds, according to the criminal complaint.

Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. In the wake of Floyd's death, protests against racism and police brutality have sparked around the world.

“As a law enforcement professional with over 26 years of experience, I can in no way justify the actions of this officer and quite frankly, I am saddened by the fact that his fellow officers stood by and allowed it to happen,” Lawrence Township Police Chief Brian Caloairo said in a letter to the community. “The officer’s actions were excessive to say the least and violated every code of ethics engrained in our profession.

“The men and women of the Lawrence Township Police Department are dedicated to working hand-in-hand with the diverse community that we serve. We believe in and are committed to developing partnerships with our community to improve quality of life within Lawrence Township. The Lawrence Township Police Department will work in partnership with the citizens and businesses of our community to uphold the constitution of the United States, the laws of the State of New Jersey and ordinances of Lawrence Township. Our officers come to work each and every day with the core values of Honor, Integrity and Knowledge. We engrain ourselves in our community with such events as our annual Easter Egg Hunt, National Night Out, Community Day and Trunk or Treat because we believe in bringing the police department and community together as a whole.”

Each year, Lawrence Township police officers receive two trainings about use of force, biased based policing, ethics, cultural diversity and dealing with mental illness, among other trainings.
Caloairo has an open door policy and invites residents to call him anytime at 609-844-7101 or just stop by for a cup of coffee. His full statement can be seen here.