Citizens Campaign tackles excessive use of force by police, works on de-escalation

The group provides support for residents who want to improve issues in their neighborhood without assigning blame

In the wake of the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd and continued police-involved shootings, law enforcement agencies are grappling with ways to bring about more accountability and reforms. A group known as The Citizens Campaign is working with police departments and community leaders to make that cultural shift, including with more de-escalation tactics and more training on how to resolve situations nonviolently.

Two New Jersey cities that in the past have had issues with excessive use-of-force complaints are on board. Perth Amboy recently implemented its own task force to improve community relations that would also require any officer’s record of police force to be factored when promotions were being considered. And the city of Paterson, suffering from a series of recent “excessive force” complaints, is following Perth Amboy’s lead when deciding officer promotions.