The Trenton Times published the following editorial on March 27, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

Opinion: Trenton needs partnership between police, community

By Times of Trenton guest opinion column 
on March 27, 2013 at 6:59 AM

By James B. Golden Jr.

Recently, I spent about five hours at a Trenton City Council meeting. Most of that time was devoted to hearing from citizens and Police Director Ralph Rivera on the current status of crime in the city and the management challenges that hinder the police department’s ability to prevent and effectively fight crime.

Listening to comments from citizens and the terse exchanges between Director Rivera and the council made me recall the time when I was appointed Trenton’s first civilian police director. Internal conflict inside the police department and the political theater now enveloping it remind me how I was similarly challenged to implement a policing strategy that would bridge the gap and forge a strong partnership between citizens and police in the war on crime. The poignant difference is that now, there are 140 fewer police officers available to fight crime and reduce fear in Trenton. This shortfall resulted largely from the economic downturn and its impact on government budgets. With the benefit of hindsight, I must say that the implosion of our police department should have been forecast many years ago and, with thoughtful intervention, might have been averted.
In his presentation to the council, Director Rivera cited inefficiencies in the department caused largely by a dated organizational structure and cumbersome language in the police labor contract that limit management’s discretion in the allocation and deployment of police officers.

The hot-button issue is the recent disbanding of the Tactical Anti-Crime unit (TAC). Given his severely depleted police force, Rivera made a good business case for this decision when he argued that, according to the police contract, TAC officers were scheduled to be off at times when crime tended to spike. Moreover, because these officers already received premium pay, calling them in during high-crime periods required additional overtime. According to Rivera, since eliminating the TAC unit, the department saved more than $400,000 in overtime expenditures. The move also enabled him to reopen two long-idled police precincts, where the former TAC officers have been redeployed for heightened presence in the community.

With a constrained budget and massive reduction in force caused by the police layoffs, this management decision and other changes aimed at making the department more efficient seem prudent. Of course, when it comes to crime and the quality of life in Trenton, one might say that prudence is in the eye of the beholder.

Every citizen who addressed the council on this matter spoke aggrievedly against the decision to get rid of the TAC officers. It seems their perception of safety was eroded by the absence of officers who are pro-actively engaged in crime suppression in their neighborhoods. This raises the question: How strong is the partnership between the community and its police force? After all, strong ties between police and citizens was purported to be the centerpiece of Mayor Tony Mack’s “comprehensive public safety plan” that was announced three months prior to Rivera’s appointment last year. Most of what was presented in the Spartan safety plan has not come to fruition.

While Director Rivera should have been more specific regarding his crime reduction plan (it would have helped if more citizen partners were familiar with and spoke in support of the plan), it is unfair and premature to assert that his management changes are bad for the police and our community. Condemning the director and demanding his termination are unwarranted and, in my view, certainly not the solution to our crime problem.

Indeed, there is no “silver bullet” to solve the range of social ills that plague the city of Trenton and worsen its struggle with crime. Concentrated poverty, an eroding tax base, anemic commercial development and low-performing schools challenge all of us, not just the police department. These conditions will not be reversed until the tension within the ranks of the police department, city government and our community is resolved. If our institutional leaders have the citizens’ best interest at heart, they must partner together and commit to a plan of action that will move the city forward.

The marathon council meeting was numbing, but gave me pause and plenty of time for critical reflection.

We have reached a critical point in the history of our city. After years of infighting, mismanagement, scandalous neglect and corruption, we can no longer entrench ourselves in separate bunkers and expect to survive. Now is the time for bold, courageous leadership that will build and guide a coalition from across our political spectrum toward positive change in Trenton.

James B. Golden Jr. is a resident of Trenton and a former city police director. He is a life member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and a founding member of Crime Stoppers of Greater Trenton.