NJ police officer fired after hate crime and misconduct investigation

SOUTH JERSEY – A state police detective who was investigated last year for possible ties to the white supremacist movement and other misconduct has been fired.

Jason Dare came under fire in March 2023 when a photo showed a tattoo on his neck with a phrase reminiscent of the Hitler Youth slogan. That same month, state police launched an internal investigation into Dare, which was later taken over by the Attorney General’s Office.

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Dare was fired on Nov. 27 for several incidents of “questionable conduct,” officials said. Investigators based the charges on conflicts of interest and inappropriate social media posts related to his visible tattoos associated with groups that espouse racist ideology, according to a spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office (OAG).

The former police officer’s dismissal was announced in a recently released state police disciplinary report that revealed a series of incidents.

Dare fired a shotgun blast through the front window of his home. He also violated the terms of a previous malpractice settlement by leaving a medical facility without properly notifying state police and then entering an unoccupied home in Pennsylvania, the report said.

The OAG declined to provide further information about the shootings and trespassing incidents or say whether Dare will face criminal charges in the state.

Dare’s questionable conduct included unauthorized absence, misuse of sick leave, failure to follow written instructions, intentional false statements, violations of uniform and grooming regulations, and improper handling of a firearm, according to the report.

A photo of Dare shows a tattoo on the front of his neck that reads “Blood Honour.” “Blood & Honour” was a slogan of the Hitler Youth movement and later became the name of a “sinister international coalition of racist skinhead gangs,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to POLITICO, Dare also has tattoos of an Iron Cross and a pit bull – similar to the symbol of a white supremacist group in Pennsylvania.

The former detective rose to notoriety in March 2023, shortly after he was reported missing from a medical facility in Pennsylvania. Dare had left the facility and never returned.

During the search for Dare, state police posted several photos of him on social media, including one showing his “Blood Honor” tattoo. The Cumberland County resident was found days later, but the revelation of the tattoo sparked speculation about Dare’s possible ties to hate movements.

In addition, according to the agency’s uniform and grooming standards, State Police officers are not permitted to have visible tattoos on their necks.

Dare was appointed state trooper in 2004.

State police did not respond to Patch’s request for comment in time for its initial release.

Until 2022, New Jersey was one of the few states without a uniform, statewide system for licensing officers. But a state law passed this summer introduced such measures, including a police training commission that could revoke officers’ licenses for, among other things, active membership in hate groups.

It is unclear whether Dare was part of a group banned under the 2022 law, but Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said the licensing process will help hold officers accountable.

“The vast majority of police officers work hard to build and maintain trust in the communities we serve,” Platkin said through a spokesman. “When members of the police force are perceived as being associated with groups that promote hate or discrimination, it destroys that trust and puts the safety of our residents and officers at risk.”

For several years, New Jersey law enforcement agencies have been required to disclose whether any of their officers have received “severe disciplinary action” – terminations, demotions or suspensions of more than five days. Previously, this information was not publicly available.

Dare’s dismissal was announced in a report listing all state troopers who imposed such penalties in 2023.