The Mercer County Police Chiefs Association sent a statement to the press this week about the killing of George Floyd. In the statement, the group promises to host community engagement sessions in the coming weeks and months, but no details are provided in the letter regarding dates or times for such sessions. The sessions are part of New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s “Excellence in Policing Initiative,” which was created in 2019. Back in 2018, Grewal also announced the 21-County, 21st Century Community Policing Project to promote stronger police-community relations by bringing law enforcement and community stakeholders together in every county a minimum four times each year for town hall meetings an discussions.

Letter from the Mercer County Police Chiefs Association

The members of the Mercer County Police Chiefs Association are deeply disturbed and saddened by the death of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, which occurred on May 25, 2020. We express our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

From the images that have been viewed, the tactic used in restraining Mr. Floyd and the failure to provide immediate medical care to him is inexcusable. While nothing will bring Mr. Floyd back, the fact that the officers involved in this incident are being held accountable is a step in the right direction.

We believe that Mercer County law enforcement officers are some of the finest in the country. As an association we constantly strive to ensure that the police officers within our respective agencies treat every person with respect and fairness. Our officers receive ongoing training in the areas of Cultural Diversity and Racial Profiling in an effort to help them recognize implicit biases and to avoid improper behavior. Our officers are also trained in the techniques of deescalation and that the use of force should only be utilized as a last resort.

In partnership with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office our association supports Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s “Excellence in Policing Initiative,” which will provide a model in strengthening accountability and trust between law enforcement and their communities while promoting the culture of professionalism and accountability within police agencies. Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri, along with our association members, will be holding community engagement sessions discussing this initiative throughout Mercer County in the coming weeks and months. We encourage residents to participate.

Our association understands that public trust is paramount in law enforcement’s mission to protect our communities. We look forward to strengthening relationships between our dedicated police officers and the Mercer County residents that we serve on a daily basis. We will remember George Floyd and we will remain committed to providing fair and equal treatment to every person that our officers come into contact with.

Chief Lance Maloney, President
Hopewell Township Police Dept.

Chief James Geary, Treasurer
East Windsor Township Police Dept.

Chief Frank Gendron, Sgt. At Arms
Hightstown Police Dept.

Chief Robert Garofalo
West Windsor Police Dept.

Chief James Stevens
Hamilton Police Division

Chief Tracey Mckeown
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office

Deputy Chief Jessica Plumeri
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office

Sheriff Jack Kemler
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office

Prosecutor Angelo Onofri
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office

Chief John Stemler, Vice-President
Ewing Police Dept.

Chief Brian Caloiaro, Secretary
Lawrence Township Police Dept.

Chief Nicholas Sutter
Princeton Police Dept.

Chief Christopher Nitti
Robbinsville Township Police Dept.

Chief Douglas Pinelli
Pennington Police Dept.

Chief Tim Grant
TCNJ Police Dept.

Director Sheilah Coley
Trenton Police Dept.

Assistant Vice President of Public Safety Paul Ominsky
Princeton University Department of Public Safety

First Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Katz
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Krystal Knapp

Website

Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.