Resident urges county to implement AG directive after fatal 2021 shooting of veteran

Ken Collins of Andover Township used the Sept. 24 public-comment period to call for thorough implementation of a New Jersey Attorney General directive on law-enforcement responses to mental-health crises, citing the 2021 fatal shooting of Major Gulia (Gulia) Dowd III by Newton police officers Steve Needle and Garrett Armstrong.

Collins said the officers arrived around 9:40 p.m. on July 4, 2021, and that body-camera video shows the officers exited their patrol cars with lethal firearms drawn as Major Dowd was backing out of his driveway. Collins argued that a nonlethal response or de‑escalation training could have avoided the shooting and told the board he feared the county had not implemented Attorney General guidance issued Dec. 21, 2020.

Collins referenced “New Jersey attorney general law enforcement directive number 2020-14,” which he said tasked the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office with convening a county working group to develop protocols and programs to support law-enforcement responses to mental-health crises. Collins said he had supplied a copy of the directive to the commissioners at the meeting and urged them to ensure training and protocols are in place.

Why it matters: Collins framed the issue as a public-safety and training gap for officers responding to people in mental-health crisis, particularly veterans with PTSD. He asked the commissioners to confirm the county’s implementation of state guidance.

What the board did: the comment was heard during the public-comment portion of the meeting; commissioners did not take formal action during the session and the record shows no immediate response other than acknowledgment of the speaker.

Ending: Collins asked commissioners to ensure county law enforcement receives appropriate training and for the prosecutor’s office to fulfill the directive’s working-group requirements.