The New Jersey Attorney General is suing Clark Township and its police department, accusing them of years of racially discriminatory policing.

The lawsuit alleges Clark Township officers targeted Black and Hispanic drivers through traffic stops, searches and enforcement patterns designed to keep non-white residents out of town.

It says that those efforts were led and encouraged by former Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso and Police Chief Pedro Matos.

State investigators say systematic racism and misconduct went on for nearly a decade, prompting a state takeover of the department in 2020.

Clark Township officials deny the claims, arguing the lawsuit is politically driven and contradicts years of past oversight findings.

"The Attorney General himself in writing acknowledge, not only a lack of any systematic problems requiring oversight, but explicitly congratulated the police department on having successfully instituted numerous reforms to improve," said Clark Mayor Angel Albanese in a statement.

The New Jersey State PBA is pushing back, calling the attorney general’s civil lawsuit outrageous, saying in a statement, "His office has been in charge of the Clark Police Department for nearly 5 1/2 years...The allegations in the civil suit have been repeatedly addressed...The Attorney General's own data ... confirms that Clark officers are policing honorably."

The state's complaint has been filed in New Jersey Superior Court.

In addition to seeking court-ordered reforms and continued oversight, the state is calling for an injunction to stop Clark Township, and its police from discriminating and to pay damages to the victims.