NJ Trooper Fired After Investigation Into White-Supremacist Ties, Misconduct

SOUTH JERSEY — A State Police detective investigated last year for potential ties to white-supremacist movements and other misconduct has been fired.

Jason Dare came under fire in March 2023, when a photo revealed a neck tattoo with a phrase reminiscent of the Hitler youth movement's slogan. That month, State Police opened an internal investigation into Dare, which the state attorney general's office later took over.

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

The former trooper's termination was revealed in a recent discipline report from State Police, which uncovers a series of incidents.

Dare fired one round from a shotgun through the front window of his home. He also violated the terms of a previous plea agreement for misconduct by leaving a medical facility without properly notifying State Police and then entering an unoccupied home in Pennsylvania, the report says.

The OAG declined to reveal additional information regarding the shooting or trespassing incidents, or whether Dare is facing any criminal charges in the state.

Dare's questionable conduct included going AWOL (absent without official leave), abusing sick leave, disobeying a written order, intentionally making false statements, violating uniform and grooming standards, and improper handling of a firearm, according to the report.

A photo of Dare revealed a tattoo that reads "Blood Honor" across the front of his neck. "Blood & Honour" was a slogan for the Hitler youth movement, later becoming the name of a "shadowy international coalition of racist skinhead gangs," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Dare also has tattoos of an iron cross and a pitbull — similar to the symbol of a Pennsylvania white-supremacist group — according to POLITICO.

The former detective gained 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 shared several photos of him on social media, including one that showed his "Blood Honor" tattoo. The Cumberland County resident was found days later, but the tattoo revelation prompted speculation into Dare's potential connections to hateful movements.

Members of State Police also cannot have visible neck tattoos, per the agency's uniform and grooming standards.

Dare became a state trooper in 2004.

State Police didn't respond to Patch's request for comment in time for initial publication.

Until 2022, New Jersey was one of only a few states without a uniform, statewide system for licensing officers. But a state law passed that summer established such measures, which included a Police Training Commission that could decertify officers for active membership in hate groups, among other reasons.

It's unclear whether Dare was part of any groups prohibited under the 2022 law. But Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said the licensing process will help in keeping officers accountable.

"The vast majority of law enforcement officers work hard to build and nurture trust with the communities we serve," Platkin said via a spokesperson. "When members of law enforcement are perceived to be associated with groups espousing hate or discrimination, it destroys that trust and jeopardizes the safety of our residents and officers."

For the past few years, law-enforcement agencies in New Jersey have been required to disclose whether any of their officers faced "major discipline" — terminations, demotions in rank or suspensions of more than five days. The information had previously been shielded from public record.

Dare's termination was revealed on a report disclosing all State Police officers issued such punishments in 2023.