New Approach To Policing Is Paying Off For Newark, Official Tells Peers In D.C.

NEWARK, NJ — Newark has seen a big drop in violent crime over the past few decades, officials say. And according to Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill, it didn’t happen by putting more people in prison – it happened because “we stopped criminalizing pain.”

Wingfield-Hill, the director of Newark’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), was among the panelists at a recent Congressional Community Safety Caucus on Capitol Hill held in Washington D.C.

Newark has caught national attention for revamping its new approach to policing, which views crime and violence as a “public health” issue that needs to be attacked by addressing its root causes – not simply making more arrests.

The city recently began diverting some of its policing budget to the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery (OVPTR), which runs anti-violence programs and supports local community groups. A network of more than 40 organizations are now helping to take a new look at crime in Newark – and what causes it.

• See Related: Obama Praises Newark's Efforts To Stop Violence By Boosting Its Youth

The new approach has been paying off, city officials have reported. Despite an uptick in violent crime last year, Newark is still seeing much less violence than it did in previous decades.

“[2024’s] crime stats reflect reductions in every crime category when compared to Newark’s crime stats from almost 60 years ago,” Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr. said earlier this year.

“Our data shows that Newark experienced 84 murders in 1967,” he continued. “While one murder is one too many, that statistic has been reduced by 56 percent this year.”

• See Related: Violent Crime Rises In Newark – But Is Still Lower Than Past Decades

Wingfield-Hill is among the community leaders who have been pushing for a new status quo in Newark.

“I come from the kind of community that’s too often ignored,” Wingfield-Hill told attendees at last month’s congressional caucus in Washington D.C.

“I was raised by my grandmother while my father was in prison and my mother fought through addiction,” Wingfield-Hill continued. “We made it through on government assistance, but what really changed my life was love, resilience, and someone giving me a chance.”

“Today, I lead violence prevention in New Jersey’s largest city — and we’ve brought crime down by 60 percent,” Wingfield-Hill said. “That didn’t happen by locking more people up. It happened because we stopped criminalizing pain and started investing in people. Real safety doesn’t come from punishment — it comes from real resources, real support, and real hope.”

The caucus was formed in July after U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) and several congressional colleagues – including former Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) – built a coalition of advocates and launched the Community Safety Agenda, an evidence-informed approach to public safety that prioritizes “care, connection and prevention” over “punishment, control and isolation.”

“This caucus’s work is about lifting up those efforts and pushing for the federal resources and policy changes that can scale them nationally,” McIver said.

“I know that together, we can make community safety a reality – for every family, on every block, in every city across this country,” the congresswoman added.

• See Related: Violent Crime Dropped In New Jersey Last Year, FBI Data Shows

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