A New Jersey city police department routinely asked people suspected of or arrested for shoplifting to sign confessions and agree to be banned from nearly a dozen downtown stores, a unusual policy that state public defenders and the ACLU said violated their rights.

The practice in East Orange — called the “Shoplifting Reduction Initiative” — was revoked by the city days after NJ Advance Media asked about it, according to city emails obtained by the news organization. It had been in place for at least five years, dating back to 2019, according to the emails.

Those suspected of shoplifting were given a form, obtained by NJ Advance Media, that says: “I acknowledge that I have committed or attempted to commit an illegal act such as Shoplifting, simple assault, disorderly conduct, harassment or criminal mischief at this location.