7-03-2025 12:44pm

Mount Laurel Police Accused of Failing to Protect Residents from Racial Harassment

State civil rights officials found probable cause that the department neglected repeated bias complaints before a 2021 arrest drew widespread attention. (Photo Credit: FOX 29 Philadelphia)

NEW JERSEY - The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR), in coordination with Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, has issued a formal "Finding of Probable Cause" against the Mount Laurel Police Department (MLPD), concluding that there is sufficient evidence to suggest the department violated the state’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD). The announcement centers on the department’s alleged failure to protect Black residents of the Essex Place Condominium Complex from sustained racial harassment.

“Bias incidents targeting residents based on race tear at the very fabric of our communities. They create fear, undermine public safety, and inflict lasting harm on our residents. That’s why our department and law enforcement agencies throughout the state have made it a priority to ensure that officers respond swiftly to reported bias incidents whenever they occur,” said Attorney General Platkin. “It is deeply concerning to me that the Mount Laurel Police Department allegedly failed to recognize or respond appropriately to dozens of incidents of race-based harassment. Law enforcement agencies must protect our state’s residents from race-based harassment, and I am committed to ensuring that all of our state’s law enforcement agencies discharge their responsibility to investigate and respond promptly to reported bias incidents.”

According to the DCR's findings, MLPD officers received approximately 40 complaints from Black residents concerning the racially charged behavior of a neighbor, Edward Cagney Mathews. These complaints, lodged over a period spanning several years and escalating between May 2020 and July 2021, included accusations of verbal abuse, racial slurs, and vandalism. Despite the frequency and severity of these reports, the department allegedly failed to pursue proper bias-incident response procedures or investigate Mathews until after public pressure mounted in July 2021.

On July 2, 2021, residents again contacted MLPD after Mathews was recorded using profane and racist language toward neighbors. Although he was charged with bias intimidation and harassment, procedural delays precluded an immediate arrest. In the following days, Mathews's conduct intensified, culminating in his arrest on July 5, 2021, amid large-scale protests. He was charged with 22 offenses linked to six separate incidents. Mathews later pleaded guilty to four counts of bias intimidation and received an eight-year prison sentence in December 2023.

The DCR investigation involved interviews with multiple police officers, a retired police chief, the complainants, and legal representatives of the Essex Place Homeowners Association. Documents and internal communications reviewed by the division indicated that MLPD officers were aware of Mathews’s conduct but reportedly did not follow required protocols for investigating bias incidents. Some officers cited concerns about provoking Mathews as a reason for inaction, and several reportedly dismissed racial motivation as a factor, despite consistent allegations from Black residents.

“Despite their avowed commitment to ‘protect and serve’ residents in their time of need, the Mount Laurel Police Department failed to respond adequately when the Township’s residents of color repeatedly reached out for help in the midst of a long-running pattern of race-based harassment,” said Yolanda N. Melville, Director of the Division on Civil Rights. “Taking corrective action begins with identifying breakdowns in conduct. Today’s finding of probable cause offers a blueprint for the Mount Laurel Police Department to begin that journey.”

The DCR’s Finding of Probable Cause emphasizes that this preliminary conclusion does not represent a final judgment. The case will proceed to a conciliation phase where parties may negotiate a voluntary resolution. If no settlement is achieved, the matter will be prosecuted by a Deputy Attorney General in court or before the Office of Administrative Law.

This development underscores the ongoing scrutiny of local law enforcement practices and their adherence to civil rights obligations under state law. The LAD prohibits discrimination based on race and other protected characteristics in public accommodations, housing, and employment.