President Obama to Appear In New Jersey On Monday, Discuss Building Trust With Police

President Barack Obama is coming to New Jersey on Monday.

The president will meet with local law enforcement and young people in Camden, White House officials said. He will hear directly about the efforts of the Camden County Police Department to build trust between their department and the community they serve.

“Honored to welcome Pres. Barack Obama to Camden ... Monday, where he will visit our community and officers,” Camden County Police said on Twitter on Thursday.

>>Related: Obama to Discuss Limits on Military Equipment for Police Departments During South Jersey Appearance

Obama’s appearance comes at a time when police departments across the country have come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner in Staten Island, and less than a month after riots erupted in Baltimore after a man died in police custody.

Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli called Obama’s visit “a significant achievement for the two-year-old organization.”

Last month, Camden was named a “Promise Zone.”

This gives Camden an advantage when it comes to federal grants to increase economic opportunity, reduce crime and improve public health, among other priorities identified by the community, White House officials said.

Promise Zones are high poverty communities in which the federal government and local leaders unite for improvement, including the reduction of violent crime, increasing economic activity and improving educational opportunities, among other goals.

Obama will discuss how these kinds of partnerships and community investments are a crucial part of creating ladders of opportunity for all Americans, officials said.

The White House said further details will be available in the coming days.

In September, Camden was designated as one of six cities nationwide to receive federal resources as part of the Violence Reduction Network. Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson was among the local officials invited to participate in a three-day discussion on crime reduction strategies as part of the program.

The Camden County Police Department recently marked its two-year anniversary. It was established in 2013, and the City has seen a decrease in violent crime by about 28 percent, according to statistics provided by the police department. Non-fatal shootings and shootings by homicide are both down nearly 50 percent.

“These officers, working hand and hand with the community, have reduced violent crime and created stronger neighborhoods throughout the city’s nine-square miles,” Cappelli said. “Furthermore, these officers have provided children and parents with a sense of ease and stability when they go to the park or walk to the corner store. In fact, the majority of students are now feeling safer outside of their schools, economic development is on the rise and the number of victims of crimes has been reduced by the thousands. This visit and recognition will mark another milestone in Camden’s revitalization.”

Gov. Chris Christie recently touted some of these improvements during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“We’ve really had a renaissance there not only in terms of reduction of crime, the last two years murders are down 55 percent in Camden, but also a new approach to policing,” Christie said during the interview. “We’re really doing community policing in Camden. We have more police officers on the street and on foot and on bicycle. They’re interacting with the public in a much different way and we’re seeing the police force and the community, predominantly minority community in Camden, really working together to reduce crime. I think Camden is a great example of what can be done across the country. But it’s going to take work.”

Obama last visited South Jersey in December when he visited Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakewood to salute troops returning from Afghanistan.

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