Activists in South Jersey are petitioning for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Department of Justice to get involved in the investigation into the police killing of Jerame Reid.
Using thepetitionsite.com, close to 68,000 people have signed up to get the newly installed attorney general involved. They want audits of the police departments in Cumberland County, similar to several audits of police departments across the nation.
Reports indicate that the group is asking the DOJ to look into the Cumberland County police practices after two other police-custody deaths in addition to Reid’s.
The other victims are 24-year-old Alissa Allen, who was found dead in a cell at the Cumberland County Jail in Brigeton, N.J., in March and 32-year-old Phillip White, who died while on his way to the hospital in police custody after being arrested in Vineland, N.J.
The petition was started by Melissa Bryne of Vineland, who said people in her hometown have the right to feel safe when dealing with police. She plans to take the petition to Lynch and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker by train.