New Security Office At Bradley Court Pays Off With 2 Arrests: NHA

NEWARK, NJ — A new security and safety office at the Bradley Court Public Housing Complex in Newark is already paying dividends, according to officials.

According to the Newark Housing Authority, a pair of separate arrests led to the recovery of illegal drugs and an AR-15 firearm at the housing complex on Sunday, Nov. 11. The arrests come less than a month after officials opened the new facility at 46 North Munn Avenue, which serves as the home of the newly formed Community Empowerment Team (CET).

The Newark Housing Authority provided the following statements about the arrests:

• “Newark Housing Authority officers and the Newark Police Department responded to a report of suspicious activity at the Joseph Bradley Court complex where the suspect, identified by Newark police as Shymere Banks, was observed with a long-armed [firearm]. An altercation ensued between officers and Banks, who was subdued and taken into custody. There were no reports of injuries. Banks was charged with unlawful possession, resisting arrest and narcotics offenses.”
• “While the Newark Housing Authority armed officers assigned to the Problem-Solving Team were conducting a quality of life detail with Newark Police Department 6th Precinct officers, a male was observed engaging in drug sales in the area of 80 North Munn. The group pursued the suspect on foot following him into an apartment where he exited from a window. A search of the apartment found three young children home alone, cash, drugs and bullets belonging to a 22-caliber handgun.”

Bradley Court has been a “challenging site” for law enforcement for a long time, Newark Housing Authority Chairman Edward Osborne said.

Executive Director Victor Cirilo was blunter in his assessment of the complex last month.

“The Housing Authority has struggled with quality of life issues and outright open-air drug dealing at our Bradley Court complex for too long,” Cirilo said. “We have to get to the root of the issue as we have a responsibility to our hard-working families and children.”

“I credit the longstanding partnership between the Newark Police Division and the Newark Housing Authority for these gun recoveries and arrests,” Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose said.

• See related article: New Security Office Opened At Bradley Court Complex In Newark

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page.

File Photo: NHA