TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General convened a meeting and press conference on Thursday, August 15, 2013 to discuss two new initiatives that it is launching in collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to address the growing issue of gun violence in Mercer County, specifically Trenton. The Attorney General’s Office is working closely with the New Jersey State Police, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Trenton Police Department, the Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Division of Beverage Control, and the State Treasury Office of Criminal Investigation.
The message of zero tolerance was made very clearly – “take your guns off the street or we’re going to take you off the street.”
Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman held a meeting with its partners and members of the community to discuss the two strategies and ask for the community’s help in spreading the word about the TAG and TIDE initiatives. The Attorney General worked closely with the Trenton Prevention Policy Board and the Trenton Police Department to identify key leaders in the community to attend the meeting, in which they had the opportunity to share their perspective and give feedback on the two approaches. Following the meeting, the Attorney General and law enforcement partners held a press conference to announce the two initiatives to the public.
The Targeted Integrated Deployment Effort (TIDE) is an “intelligence-driven surge in deployments to suppress violent crime led by the State Police and involving State Police uniformed and investigative personnel – supplemented by other state, county, and federal personnel – working in an integrated fashion with Trenton Police uniform patrols, warrant squads, and detective. The effort is focused on the East and West Wards…TIDE includes high-visibility patrols during peak hours, as well as covert operations.” The TIDE initiative was launched early on Thursday morning with a targeted warrant sweep in Trenton, which saw 15 fugitives arrested for violent crimes and other offenses. The deployment is scheduled to continue for approximately one month, however, alterations to the schedule may be made as seen fit by the State Police, Attorney General’s Office, the Trenton Police Department, and other partners.
The Targeted Anti-Gun Initiative (TAG) is a “new arrest and prosecution strategy that brings New Jersey’s tough gun laws to bear on gang members, drug dealers, and repeat offenders who carry guns in public. When those offenders are arrested by TIDE partners, the Attorney General has mandated a “zero tolerance” prosecution policy that will increase the sentenced imposed on “tagged” gun offenders – those in the targeted categories found in possession of a gun – to at least 3 ½ years in state prison without possibility of parole.” The TAG initiative became live on August 8, 2013 when Governor Christie signed into law Senate Bill No. 2804.
These efforts have been in development for several weeks already, and have been motivated by the rapidly increasing violence gripping the city of Trenton. The city has already experienced 29 homicides, surpassing the 24 total in 2012, and fast approaching Trenton’s record high of 31 murders in 2005. The TAG initiative includes an outreach program and community awareness campaign to enlist public support in identifying those in violation of the law. The Attorney General’s Office is launching a campaign with advertisements in local newspapers, on buses, bush shelters, rail platforms, and billboard. The ads will ask for the public’s help in identifying violent offenders who carry guns. The Trenton Police Department has set up a confidential hotline where individuals can call in with information without jeopardizing their own safety. The hotline number is 609-989-3663.
For more information on the TIDE and TAG initiatives, please visit the following links:
- NJ Attorney General’s Office Press Release: http://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases13/pr20130815b.html
- Trenton Times News Coverage: