Cherry Hill Police Seek Grant Targeting Racial Disparity

CHERRY HILL, NJ — When officials in the Cherry Hill Public School District discovered African American students were being disciplined at a greater rate than other students at Cherry Hill High School West a few years ago, they knew a change had to be made.

The district partnered with the police department to introduce the Restorative Practices program, which breaks down barriers between staff and students, so they can talk openly about what students did wrong and how they can improve their behavior.

Building on the success of that program, Cherry Hill police are now looking to bring a similar approach to policing in the overall community, taking aim at the racial disparity in the local justice system.

Cherry Hill Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night that allows the police department to apply for a $45,000 grant to enter into an initiative run by the state that gets to the bottom of minor offenses.

The program allows police officers to divert juvenile offenders outside the scope of the usual criminal justice system for minor offenses, Cherry Hill Police Chief William Monaghan said during Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Minor offenses include ordinance violations, disorderly persons offenses and fourth-degree offenses.

“We try to identify the underlying causes of criminal behavior,” Monghan said. “It is a strategy for reducing racial disparities within the formal justice system.”

“When you hear people talk about community policing and problems in police departments, this is the right way to address these issues,” said Cherry Hill Councilwoman Carole Roskoph, an English teacher and the Student Activities Coordinator at Cherry Hill High School West who has experience with the Restorative Practices program. “I get very upset when I hear people talking about defunding the police because that brings all kinds of negative connotations with it. No one ever wants to defund the police. What we’re really talking about is redirecting funding that police spend in different ways that will improve community relations.”

The “Defund the Police” movement entered the national conversation after the death of George Floyd and the social unrest that followed over the summer. Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza went on NBC's "Meet the Press" to explain that defunding the police is about putting more of a focus on other "resources" outside policing that are important to communities across the United States. Read more here: 'Defund The Police': 5 Things To Know About What It Means

“When we talk about defunding the police, what we really need to do is make sure we give them all the resources they need to do their job,” Cherry Hill Councilman William Carter III said. “I think this is a very good thing for Cherry Hill.”

Monaghan made a statement early in the summer when he invited protesters planning a Black Lives Matter march in Cherry Hill to stick around afterward and meet with the department's officers for a barbecue. Read more here: Cherry Hill Police Chief Invites Protesters To Meet With Officers

“We’re excited to be able to participate in this competitive grant process and just add to the programs we’ve already been able to facilitate within the school system itself,” Monaghan said on Tuesday.