A former N.J. police chief stands trial for a hate crime

Retired Bordentown Police Chief Frank Nucera is on trial for a hate crime. Are recordings of him using racist slurs enough to convict him?

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Frank Nucera was the top cop and governing official for Bordentown Township for 10 years. (Google maps)

Frank Nucera was the top cop and governing official for Bordentown Township for 10 years. (Google maps)

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Former Bordentown police chief Frank Nucera is standing trial for allegedly assaulting a black teenager while in custody. Nucera’s own officers recorded him using racist slurs, but is that enough to convict him of a hate crime? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Melanie Burney and Grant Hill, producer of the podcast “Stay the F—- Out of Bordentown,” explain the unusual circumstances that led to the charges.

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