New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport told state senators during her confirmation hearing on Monday that she will take a “fresh” look at the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), the state’s anti-corruption division that has been at the center of bi-partisan criticism in recent years, TLS has learned.

Davenport, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was asked about the division’s work, including its prosecution of SCHI founder Rabbi Osher Eisemann, whose indictment was dismissed in 2024 after years of litigation and findings that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence to the defense.

“The OPIA’s work has been extremely flawed. In addition to the case against a South Jersey power broker and others, such as a Lakewood Rabbi … There have been serious and credible allegations of abuse of tactics and even the destruction of evidence,” Republican state Senator Mike Testa noted during his questioning of Davenport.

“I’m obviously aware of the scrutiny and the media reports that have been out there,” Davenport said in response to earlier questions from Senator Paul Sarlo about the office. “I’m also aware that there are really dedicated career professionals looking to do and doing the right thing, day in and day out, and making sure that those cases are done properly. But we have to take a look, as you said, and I’ve already started to dive in on that and made it a priority.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced Davenport’s nomination, marking a key step toward her confirmation as New Jersey’s next attorney general.

Created in 2018, the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is charged with prosecuting public officials, law enforcement officers and others accused of misconduct. However, the office has faced increased criticism, particularly after a series of high-profile setbacks.

In the Eisemann case, a judge dismissed the indictment, a ruling that followed earlier retrials and years of litigation stemming from violations of prosecutors’ obligations to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence.

Legislators and advocacy groups have debated reforms to increase oversight of the office. In 2023, state Senator Joe Cryan proposed legislation that would require the office to adopt the same internal affairs guidelines as other law enforcement divisions and to report to the Legislature on investigations that extend beyond 180 days.

Critics have also called for broader changes, including an independent monitor to oversee the office’s work, citing additional cases in which charges brought by the unit were dismissed or withdrawn by prosecutors.

Davenport did not outline specific reforms Monday but indicated she intends to review the office’s operations as she prepares to lead the state’s Department of Law and Public Safety.

“If confirmed, I will always seek to lead the Department of Law and Public Safety by bringing people together and listening to them, whether that’s within our divisions or with local, county, state, and federal law enforcement, with religious leaders from across states, or with other leaders and stakeholders from the communities we serve,” Davenport said

If confirmed by the full Senate, Davenport would succeed Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin.