New
Jersey State Police Citizens Academy
By Albert B. Kelly
One of the more regrettable developments of the last few
years, at least to me, has been the intense level of mistrust and fear that’s
developed between too many of our citizens and the our enforcement community. That’s
not to say that there haven’t at times been justifications for such cynicism,
but it is to suggest that a portion of today’s mistrust is generated secondhand
by way of media coverage, peers, colleagues, and even Hollywood.
Such secondhand knowledge is what a court might call hearsay
and it’s not admissible as evidence or proof of anything really, yet in our
everyday lives we easily form opinions and perceptions from hand-me-down
stories and narratives as opposed to direct knowledge. The other thing that doesn’t
help is our reluctance to expose ourselves to information that might call into
question what we assume to be true and I include myself on occasion.
But in an area as important as the relationship of citizens
to their law enforcement communities, we would do well to examine the assumptions
we get from others and focus more on direct knowledge. But how do we get such firsthand
knowledge? For many of us, short of being pulled over for a driving infraction
or being involved in something worse, we won’t encounter law enforcement nor
would we want to in circumstances that come with adrenaline, fear, and frayed
nerves.
One way to get firsthand knowledge is the New Jersey State
Police Citizens Academy. The Citizens Academy is for community leaders,
faith-based leaders, and other local leadership from across the state that are
willing to take part in the eight weekly sessions created to help inform
citizens about the responsibilities, capabilities, operations, and procedures
of our State Police- what we call firsthand knowledge.
At first glance, the program might not seem like much. But
down on the street, when the #$@&% hits the fan, it’s usually youth leaders
and faith-based leaders who comfort grieving family members and calm angry
neighbors in the eye of whatever storm happens to be raging. These are often the
ones standing between the yellow crime scene tape and impacted neighborhoods
thinking about who knows what. In quieter moments, these leaders have the
potential to inform and educate- they’re ambassadors for better or worse
whether they like it or not.
As civilians, if we’re honest with ourselves, we know little
of the reality involved with police work and what we think we know often comes
from news, television, or stories we hear from our cousin’s friend’s brother
whose knowledge may be confined to a bad traffic stop or an outstanding
warrant. My point is that it’s all too easy to make assumptions and have blind
spots about what police do and why they do it. If police need to be more
mindful of the communities they serve and they certainly do, then citizens also
need to be mindful of things through the eyes of law enforcement.
It’s easy to think the worst about law enforcement especially
when we see an officer taking aim and firing multiple shots into the back of an
unarmed individual (running away from him) and then planting a Taser on that
victim as happened when Charleston, South Carolina policeman Michael Slager
shot and killed Walter Scott. But this isn’t most of what happens each day
despite how coverage might shape perceptions to the contrary.
That’s why the State Police Citizens Academy and programs
like it are necessary and important because if nothing else, it helps take away
blind spots and assumptions by providing insight into operations, procedures, technology,
and philosophies of policing. It helps community leaders understand things from
law enforcement’s perspective and that’s valuable when the #$@&% hits the
fan and even when it doesn’t.
There’s been an emphasis lately on eliminating implicit bias
among police- meaning those attitudes or stereotypes that partly inform their actions
and decisions in unconscious ways and this is necessary and there should be a
lot more of it. But implicit bias cuts both ways. The Citizens Academy is a
small part of bridging the gap.
For those in Cumberland County serving in community
leadership roles interested and serious about learning what law enforcement
does and why, the State Police Citizens Academy starts September 18th.
Expressions of interest should be communicated to the Cumberland County
Prosecutor’s Office (856) 453-0486 by August 30th with invitations
to those selected to follow shortly thereafter.