Body Cameras Part Of Expanded Community Policing Initiative In Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — About 20 Gloucester Township police officers have been outfitted with body cameras as part of a series of upgrades the department is making to its community policing strategy, Police Chief Harry Earle announced on Monday. All patrol officers will be wearing body cameras over the next several weeks.

The cameras are provided by the Axon Corporation. Axon was known as Taser until a few months ago, when it was re-branded. It now offers body worn cameras to any police department that inquires for free, according to Tech Crunch.

“I believe that the deployment of body worn cameras will enhance our efforts in building trust with the community while also assisting in capturing evidence during police investigations,” Earle said. “ … We are equipping police officers with body cameras, but it is just one small effort of many other new practices we are launching today that will build trust and legitimacy. A body camera alone does not build trust.”

Body cameras became a topic of conversation at a time when the public became more concerned about police-involved shootings. To address this issue, the Gloucester Township Police Department has introduced an upgraded training simulator.

“As part of our 2017 capital improvement program, we have just purchased an upgraded force/no-force training simulator which gives officers the ability to utilize less lethal force options such as taser and pepper spray,” Earle said. “The only option available to an officer with our previous system was lethal force (firearm). Additionally, the training evolutions will consist of some scenarios where the officer successfully de-escalates the situation without using physical or other force.”

Many of the high profile cases of police-involved shootings concerned minorities. The police department has three new liaisons that will help with outreach to these communities.

Officer Erica Marconi has been named Latino Officer Liaison. She speaks Spanish, and has already been working with Hispanic groups in the community.

“We have also produced officer trading cards in Spanish and as we launch our new website next week we will also be introducing a section in Spanish,” Earle said.

Officer Eddie Radden will serve as the police department’s primary African American Liaison Officer. Officer Randy Pearce serves as one of the LGBTQ Liaison Officers. He has already begun working with the Gay-Straight Alliance at a local high school.

“It is important to understand that the role of these liaisons is not only to connect with members of the community, but perhaps as equally important they serve as integral members of our agency who help other members understand different cultures, languages, and orientations,” Earle said. “Additionally these officers will be participating in our high schools’ ‘Conversation with a COP Program’ and also the Freshmen Orientation Program to help high school students understand that the Gloucester Township Police Department is ready and eager to serve all people.”

These coincide with policy changes concerning transgender interactions, recruitment and career opportunities, hearing impaired interactions, volunteers in policing, bias free policing, and social media.

The department introduced a 25-foot community outreach vehicle that includes video game systems, a social media command center, and a police-community meeting room.

It will carry various forms of sporting equipment such as Jenga, beanbag toss, spike ball, and more. It will visit neighborhoods all summer. Police officers on board will engage with youth and 6 community members.

It was built in 2002, and has been re-purposed to serve as the mobile community policing command center.
The police department began implementing its community policing strategy, the Third Gear Community Policing Plan, in 2010. It is now expanding its volunteers in policing program. It will include community volunteers during certain events, and expand its Chaplain Volunteer Program.

“This new policing model focused heavily on being more visible and interactive with community members, assisting at-risk populations, and so much more,” Earle said. “Our community policing efforts that began in 2010 were unique as there were not an abundance of law enforcement agencies talking about community policing at the time.”

Since its introduction, the overall crime rate has fallen 34 percent and the violent crime rate has fallen 50 percent as of 2015, according to Earle.

“As we look at 2016 we already see a preliminary reduction even further in overall crime of 8 percent from 2015 to 2016,” Earle said. “ … I cannot say with certainty that our Third Gear community policing program is the reason for these dramatic reductions in crime or assaults on police, but I can say that our efforts dedicated to community policing certainly have not caused crime to rise.”

Earle’s goal is to point out that the police department is relying on more than just body-worn cameras in building community trust.

“Please know that members of the Gloucester Township Police Department spend their time helping, serving, and at times risking their lives for our residents and all of them should be so proud of their work,” Earle said. “In the roll call room where officers report for work each day is a sign hanging clearly over the door which reads ‘Be Someone’s Hero Today.’ The message is simple. Certainly a hero is someone who catches a bank robber, saves a baby from a burning building, or arrests someone who has assaulted another, but here at Gloucester Township Police a hero is someone who has also recruited a candidate for our Junior Police Academy, stopped with some kids on the street to be a part of a ‘selfie,’ assisted a person in crisis, and perhaps most importantly- gained their trust and legitimacy. This is the philosophy of the Gloucester Township Police Department.”

Patch file photo