Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of the Mayor
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Supporting () Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Supporting Police Director's General Order 2013-03, Police Transparency Policy
Purpose: Maintaining strong ties between the Newark Police Force and Community
Additional Information:
This policy requires the Newark Police Department to track and report Police Officers' stop of individuals.
Deferred 7R8-a 070313
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Whereas, Newark Police Department officers put their lives on the line every day in the service of the City of Newark and they are an indispensable part of our community and crucial to the health and well-being of every resident of the City of Newark; and
WHEREAS, a resident's trust and confidence in its police force improves as they learn more about how the Department works and public confidence is essential to effective policing; and
WHEREAS, maintaining strong ties between the police force and the communities it serves is of paramount importance in keeping this City safe; and
WHEREAS, transparency is an integral part of those strong ties; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of the City of Newark and the Police Director hold that, it is their duty and responsibility to create an environment that inspires the trust and confidence of Newark residents in its Police Department; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor encourages and supports the Police Director's issuance of General Order 2013-03, known as the Police Transparency Policy (form attached); and
WHEREAS, the Police Transparency Policy (the Transparency Policy) accomplishes the following:
- The Transparency Policy requires the Newark Police Department to track and report the number of times its officers stop, frisk, and question individuals.
- The Transparency Policy requires that officers record their stops and the reasons for them.
- The Transparency Policy also requires that officers keep track of details of their stops, so that Newark residents can get a better sense of why people are being stopped, and what those interactions are like.
- The Transparency Policy provides for officers to record their observations of the stops on the standardized form.
- The Transparency Order requires that the Police Director submit quarterly reports to the Mayor concerning the number, location, and character of stops and frisks. The purpose is to provide the citizens of Newark with a comprehensive understanding of how their Police Department operates and to improve police-community relations by further mutual understanding. A summary of Field Inquiry Reports, Use of Force Reports and Internal Affairs Reports will be posted on the Newark Police Department website on a monthly basis.
WHEREAS, the Mayor and the Business Administrator support and encourage the Police Director in issuing the Police Transparency Policy and request that the Municipal Council of the City of Newark join in their encouragement and support of the Police Transparency Policy by adopting this resolution in support thereof.
NOW, THEREFORE , BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Members of the Municipal Council join with the Mayor and the Business Administrator of the City of Newark in encouraging and supporting the actions of the Police Director in issuing General Order 2013-03, the Police Transparency Policy.
2. The Members of the Municipal Council recommend that the Police Transparency General Order remain as a long standing policy of the Newark Police Department.
STATEMENT
This resolution memorializes the Municipal Council's joining with the Mayor and the Business Administrator of the City of Newark to support the actions of the Police Director in issuing General Order 2013-03, the Police Transparency General Order which shall aid in creating an environment that inspires the trust and confidence of Newark residents in its Police Department