Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Today the Courier News and NJ.com released articles covering the panel discussion that I am organizing to discuss community and police relationships in Union County. The NJ.com article, reproduced below, can be found here.

Assemblyman Green wants outreach between law enforcement, minorities; says 'system is broken'

Tom Haydon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comBy Tom Haydon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 
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on December 10, 2014 at 10:26 AM, updated December 10, 2014 at 10:28 AM
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Screen Shot 2014-12-09 at 5.37.24 PM.pngAssembly Jerry Green is planning to create a panel to improve relations between law enforcement and minorities. 
UNION COUNTY — In the wake of incidents with police in Ferguson, Mo. and Staten Island, Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-Union) now wants a panel to improve communication between law enforcement and minorities.
In an announcement Tuesday, Green said he is working with Union County freeholders and law enforcement agencies to create the panel that would include government officials, community and professional leaders, as well as former and current law enforcement officers.
“We’ve got a broken system," Green said. "People have lost faith in police departments. I want to see how we can improve the public trust. I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus. I have reached out to the state [Policemen's Benevolent Association]. I have reached out to the prosecutor’s office."
Although he plans to start in Union County, Green said he has already spoken with state Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) about a statewide effort.
County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak hailed the plan as an opportunity to discuss new services.
“This is an appropriate time to talk about relations between law enforcement entities and the communities they police,” Hudak said.
Green announced the plans as protests continue across the country over the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., and the choking death of Eric Garner by a officer in Staten Island, and decisions by separate grand juries not to indict either officer.

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