Rover said Hespe told him during a 1998 meeting to stall federal investigators by saying he was looking into getting audits of trooper activities on the southern portion of the New Jersey Turnpike. Rover said he told Hespe he already had those documents. He said Rover simply told him that the Justice Department was requesting certain information. The survey, in part, would examine whether white or minority motorists are more likely to violate traffic laws. Zoubek's testimony marked the first time the Attorney General's Office has committed publicly to performing the controversial survey.
Critics say the theory that minorities and whites drive differently is offensive.
Zoubek said the state has received proposals from companies seeking to conduct the survey, expected to begin in a few months. Verniero has testified that statistics on stopping motorists have little meaning without a violator survey. Senators last week questioned why no study was done, especially since Verniero deemed it crucial to determining whether troopers were profiling motorists. This article contains material from The Associated Press.