Newark Cops, Firefighters, Community Will Share New Training Center

NEWARK, NJ — A new training facility in Newark’s South Ward will give emergency responders – and local community groups – a place where they can develop their skills for the good of the community, officials say.

Last week, city administrators and community leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at the new William Mobile Ashby Community Care and Training Center at 695 Bergen Street.

According to a statement from the Newark Department of Public Safety, the new facility will function as a “shared space” for the community and its first responders.

Community groups will be invited to utilize the building for meetings and to conduct group training sessions and other events.

Due to state-mandated safety requirements for police training, use of the facility by community groups will be coordinated and scheduled through the building’s manager, officials noted.

Meanwhile, the Newark Department of Public Safety – including police, firefighters, members of the Office of Emergency Management and Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery staff – will get some cutting-edge training at the “ultra-modern facility.” First responders from other New Jersey public safety agencies will also be invited to use the space, officials said.

The Newark Department of Public Safety is finalizing its requirements with the Police Training Commission to offer a Newark Police Training Academy beginning in 2024, officials added.

The new center is named in honor of the late civil rights leader and New Jersey’s first Black social worker, William Mobile Ashby. The 100,000-square-foot has “revitalized” the site of the former William H. Brown Academy, which closed in 2009, officials said.

SPECIFICATIONS

Developed by Brandywine, the facility is three stories and has two elevator banks, a freight elevator and a parking deck that can fit more than 220 vehicles.

The newly opened facility also has the following features and amenities:

• A 470-Seat Auditorium
• A Community Resource Room
• Two Tiered Classrooms
• One Dividable Class Room with up to 120 Seats
• An Administrative Suite
• A Computer Lab

Newark officials said that first-responder training features and equipment include a “state-of-the-art” gymnasium with the following equipment:

• Multiple Strength-Training Machines
• Treadmills
• Stationary Bikes
• Pull-up Bars
• Free Weights
• A Wrestling/Defensive Tactics Training Room
• A 1/8 Mile Athletic Track
• Three Locker Rooms
• A Gender-Neutral Restroom
• A Library

The building also has some “scenario-based training” rooms, which include:

• A 300-degree Virtual, Immersive, and Interactive Training System
• Two Full-Sized Vehicles (located on the 2nd Floor) for Motor Vehicle Stops Training
• A Mock Bodega
• A Mock Police Station
• A Mock 2-Bedroom Apartment

Several city administrators and officials said the new facility will be a benefit to the community – and give residents and public safety workers a place to deepen their connections.

“This building will be shared among residents and will be used to train our social workers, outreach workers, and police officers and firefighters – because that’s how it’s supposed to be,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

“In Newark, we have put the ‘public’ back in public safety and it will remain there,” he added.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lakeesha Eure said it is “revolutionary” to have social workers, outreach workers and community activists sharing space with local police and firefighters.

“Who would imagine that social workers would contribute to transforming public safety in the city?” Eure asked. “Or that community members would be invited into a training center to work in collaboration with law enforcement?”

“This different mindset allows first responders to learn skills in the same space where youth engagement strategies, and de-escalation, crisis intervention, and implicit bias training are conducted – where violence is collectively addressed as a public health issue,” Eure continued. “Newark has become the model city for community-based public safety, and this training center is living proof.”

Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said that when he started his law enforcement career more than 25 years ago, having a shared space for community groups, police, and firefighters was “unheard of.”

“This building is a brilliant example of how we, here in Newark, go against the status quo to effect tangible and meaningful change to make this a world-class city,” Fragé said.

• See Related: Newark Will Take $12M From Police, Reinvest In Social Services
• See Related: Newark Is Becoming A Safer Place To Live, 2023 Crime Stats Show

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