Community policing or a little too late?

NEWARK — The Newark Police Department rolled out its revised community relations strategy tonight, presenting updated accountability measures and crime reporting methods to a group of advocates, community leaders and clergy members.

Police Director Garry McCarthy led a presentation centered around improved police training and Internal Affairs techniques, which the director hopes will strengthen residents’ trust in his officers.

"Cities like Newark have a history of tension between the community and the police," he said. "But I’m not willing to save the village by burning it down."

At the heart of the strategy is an enhanced performance monitoring system the department began to use in May. The system allows for increased supervision of officers who are the subject of substantiated misconduct allegations, receive negative performance reviews or are found guilty of severe infractions like excessive force.

McCarthy also hopes to bolster Internal Affairs ranks by requiring all new sergeants to serve two years in the division. In a petition filed earlier this month, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said internal affairs shortcomings are a primary reason Newark needs federal oversight.

The petition showed only one of 261 "serious" misconduct allegations were substantiated over a two- year span. The state Attorney General’s Office and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office also launched a joint investigation into Newark’s internal affairs operation after The Star-Ledger reported the department was not properly reporting case statistics.

"It’s incredibly difficult to sustain complaints against police officers, whether they are true or not," said McCarthy. "It often boils down to ‘he said, she said.’

Today’s presentation was not a direct reaction to the ACLU petition or other investigations, according to Sgt. Ronald Glover, a Newark police spokesman. He said the strategy has been in development for a year, and McCarthy has already made several public appearances addressing the issue.

The police department is also hoping to improve response times by allowing residents to file reports of "low-priority" crimes online or by phone. Sgt. Brian O’Hara said the creation of the Telephone Reporting Unit to field minor crime reports will speed up officer responses to life-or-death scenarios.

"This will increase our ability to respond to true emergencies," he said.

Residents can report seven minor crimes — criminal mischief, simple assault, theft, auto theft, low-level fraud, harassment and verbal threats — via the internet or by phone.

A rotating cast of speakers tonight detailed several other strategies, including additional community-based training, courses for improved arrest tactics, an updated department website and annual performance reviews for all uniformed officers.

Bishop Jethro James, pastor of Paradise Baptist Church in Newark, said he and the clergy would stand by the police director and hope for change, but claimed the department has a long history of promising reform but failing to implement it.
"Those of us who have been here for 20 or 30 years are saying, ‘Here we go again,’ " James said. "I hope it’s not the same widget with a new name."

Flavio Komuves, the ACLU lawyer who compiled the organization’s petition, said a federal monitor would aid McCarthy in his mission to improve department policy.

"We’ve heard some good policies that he wants to implement," Komuves said. "But we also heard that he’s going to need a strong hand to implement those policies."

McCarthy said the strategy will not be official department policy until after he hears suggestions from the community, and Glover said some policies could be implemented by the end of the year.