Cutting edge solutions to better police/community relations and as a result boost public safety were communicated to key Trenton and New Jersey decision-makers at the Solutions Forum hosted this past Tuesday by The Trenton Civic Trust at Thomas Edison state University.
The solutions discussed included:
- How an Urban Auxiliary Police Force can help to improve police/citizen relations.
- Anti-racial bias training and the Attorney General’s Office timeline for implementation.
- De-escalation training and its benefits to the police officers and the community.
- Youth/police relations programs in the School District and the community.
- Effective Strategies for engaging the community after an incident occurs.
The panel for the Forum was comprised of law enforcement and community relations experts: Elie Honig, Former NJ Division of Criminal Justice Director; James Johnson, Special Counsel to Phil Murphy; Roberto Rodriguez, Deputy Chief of Auxiliary Police in Perth Amboy, Jiles Ship, Commissioner at NJ Police Training Commission; and Jennifer Davenport, First Assistant to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
Among the decision-makers attending and participating were Mayor Reed Gusciora, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, Trenton City Council members, Superintendent of Schools Fred McDowell, Board of Education President Gene Bouie and members of the School Board.
Trustee Jacque Howard kicked-off the Forum by welcoming everyone and introducing the Trustees and the government officials.