Police forum aims to forge better relations with teens
Saturday's seminar primarily designed for minority youths
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer
The North Brunswick Township Police Department and the New Destiny Community Center will host a seminar May 31 to connect law enforcement personnel with community youth.

"The Law and You: A Place to Belong" will be held at 1330 Livingston Ave., Suite 5, from 9 a.m. to noon. The purpose is to show teenagers, specifically minority teens, the role of officers in order to break down stereotypes and to give officers a better understanding of the perceptions teenagers have.

"Police and community relations, especially with minority youth, cannot be underscored. … It is an integral part of community policing," Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack said.

The program was developed by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and will include videos of police encounters, a discussion period and a question-and-answer session. Because the mission is to clear up issues of miscommunication and misperceptions of what actually occurs during police-teenager interactions, the officers will speak about racial profiling, proper traffic-stop behavior and overall conduct when dealing with the police.

"This gives them a better understanding of where the police officers are coming from, and maybe it will take away some preconceived notions they have of the police," acting Deputy Chief Joseph Battaglia said.

In addition, the officers themselves will hear the civilians' sides of the story and learn how they can better react when dealing with the community.

"This aids us, too, if we need to focus on training or if there's something we're missing. It helps us because there may be some things we don't understand in the culture," Battaglia said.

Although the target group is minority teens, members from any ethnic background are invited to attend. In fact, the police department hopes to have various parents, grandparents, guardians, school representatives, community leaders and religious organizations involved.

"This is a pretty diverse community. Our goal is ... to go to all organizations - whether Hispanic, white, black - to get everyone all together with the police department," Battaglia said. "To build these bridges and bring the community and police department together- it's just a benefit to everyone involved."

Battaglia said this week's program is a continuation of several discussion forums held within the community over the last six months. The police department also is involved with other aspects of community relations, such as the PACT unit, programs in the schools, the Junior Police Academy and National Night Out.

The department is also partnering with the New Destiny Community Center to provide tutoring services to youths in need, a ministers' alliance, and professional resources within the community.

Registration is recommended but not required for the seminar. Contact Kim Davis at 732-246-8850 for more information.