NEWARK, N.J., June 16, 2020 — The reforms to strengthen the police-community trust that was announced earlier this month during a virtual Town Hall Meeting are an outgrowth of the “Excellence in Policing” Initiative launched by the Attorney General in December 2019.  Over the past two years, the New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Singh Grewal has consulted with community groups. Still, New Jersey’s leading law enforcement professional organizations were not included in the development of the policies that will largely impact the communities that we serve.

“Who better to provide insights about needed reforms than law enforcement professionals who have for decades walked the streets in the neighborhoods of New Jersey, communicating with local residents and working collaboratively with community leaders,” said Jiles Ship, a 34-year veteran in law enforcement, president of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and past national president of NOBLE. 

“We were disappointed and offended that we were not invited to be at the table last year with the Attorney General to share our experience and expertise,” continued Ship. “I was shocked when I heard that NOBLE and members from the other ethnic police organizations in New Jersey were not part of the process in developing the recommendations,” said Reginald Johnson, president, NAACP Metuchen-Edison Chapter.

“We are one of the most diverse states in America. It would seem logical to include those who not only look like many in our diverse communities but those who have years of service in community policing, especially in communities of color,” remarked Reverend David Ford, Sr., New Jersey Clergy Coalition for Justice. “It just seems very disrespectful given the need to build police-community trust to leave our black, Hispanic, and Asian law enforcement groups out of the process of developing the recommendations,” continued Reverend Ford.

“We were pleased to hear during the Town Hall meeting that the Attorney General will be reaching out to other stakeholders to involve them in the further development of the recommendations, said President Ship. “We hope that NOBLE, NJ Association of Chiefs of Police and other law enforcement executives, will be included. We look forward to working with the Attorney General on this important initiative,” continued Ship.

About NOBLE
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) serves as the conscience of law enforcement by being committed to Justice by Action. NOBLE is the nation’s largest premier collection of African American law enforcement professionals. It is one of the first member organizations that started the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA emphasizes the national professional standards for effective policing, leadership, and operations. The organization’s members are leading over half of the nation’s largest municipal and county law enforcement agencies. NOBLE has nearly 60 chapters and represents over 3,000 members worldwide that represent chief executive officers and command-level law enforcement officials from federal, state, county, municipal law enforcement agencies, and criminal justice practitioners