FREEHOLD – On Tuesday, May 8th, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office hosted the first in a series of conversations between Monmouth County Law Enforcement, representatives from faith-based organizations, and other community stakeholders. The event, was held at the Triumphant Life Church, located at 500 Malterer Avenue, Oceanport (Fort Monmouth).  The event’s focus centered on “Police Involved Shootings and the Community Response.”

The event was organized by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Community Law Enforcement Unit (CLEU), which coordinates the Office’s Community Outreach Efforts.  The CLEU, first launched in 2016, was organized under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni and is a formal expansion of the Office’s longstanding efforts within the Monmouth County community.  The unit proactively engages with members of the public, including faith-based, non-profit and educational partners that serve the residents of Monmouth County. Through the cooperation and coordination with local law enforcement agencies, the unit maintains an active presence in our communities through education and support. The unit is directly supervised by the Prosecutor and is staffed by the Deputy Chief of Detectives, Director of Major Crimes, Training and Community Outreach Coordinator, a Community Law Enforcement Liaison and a VISTA worker.

Tuesday’s event is the first in a series of conversations between local law enforcement and a broad range of stakeholders and local community leaders, including representatives from religious groups, civil rights organizations, high schools, colleges, universities and local Municipal Alliance members.  The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office event dovetails with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office statewide initiative “21 Counties – 21st Century Community Policing Project.” Today’s conference will be followed by three others which will take place throughout the year and will focus on other topics of significance to our community, including Opioids, Immigration Enforcement, and Bias Crimes.

Today’s event featured presentations concerning the procedures and practices of police use-of-force incidents; the impact of trauma upon the community at-large; the impact of trauma upon law enforcement; and, the role of the faith-based leader in community crises.  The event will culminate with a panel discussion.

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