Brick Police, Clergy Build Bonds To Help Community

BRICK, NJ — As the township continues to face ongoing societal challenges, officials are continuing to look for new ways to meet the needs of their communities.

In Brick Township, the police department and the township's clergy have formed a partnership to find more ways to address issues.

The partnership got under way with a meeting on March 21, where ministers and clergy from various houses of worship in Brick met with Police Chief James Riccio, Sgt. Jim Kelly, and the department's chaplains, Dan Shafer and Doug Chase.

That meeting came about after discussions in January and February among Chase, Rabbi Rob Rubin of Temple Beth Or, and Father Ed Blanchett of Church of the Visitation and Kelly to identify areas where the interfaith community and the law enforcement community could serve each other.

The following are some of the things the two groups look to accomplish are:

1. Threat assessments for houses of worship in the area
2. Clergy and minister ride-alongs with the police
3. Special services for particular officers
4. Clergy attendance at promotional ceremonies
5. Workshops on the opioid abuse epidemic, senior scams, cybercrime, CPR, boater safety, and others
6. Medication drop box availability
7. Information sharing in congregational newsletters
8. Moral support and critical incident stress debriefing
9. Addressing homelessness
10. Reaching marginalized groups

The March 21 meeting of the Cops and Clergy initiative included representatives from Osbornville Protestant, Osbornville Baptist, St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic, Church of the Visitation Roman Catholic, Living Faith Bible Church, Temple Beth Or, First Baptist Church of Laurelton, and Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in attendance.

Other houses of worship have been in touch with officials about the initiative, including St. Raphael’s Episcopal, St. Thomas Lutheran, True Life Church, Community Bible Fellowship, and Brick Presbyterian.

Church leaders, representatives, trustees, and parish nurses exchanged information during a Q&A with Riccio, Kelly, and Chaplains Shafer and Chase.

"We’re really looking forward to making new relationships in our community. I think this is going to be a good thing for everyone," Kelly said.

The meeting was followed by a workshop on Sunday, March 24 at Visitation Church. Sgt. Jason Shepherd, Kelly, and Patrolman Bryan Murphy presented information on the opioid abuse epidemic. The workshop included information on overdose statistics in Brick, the Not Even Once program, the Blue HART program, and other issues surrounding addiction.

Shepherd, who worked in drug enforcement for more than 10 years, talked about the programs and initiatives created to combat the opioid crisis. He said the programs have helped.

"We still have work to do, but we are seeing a decrease in overdoses and overdose deaths," Shepherd said.