FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
CHIEF RICHARD J . BUZBY , JR . LITTLE EGG HARBOR PD
First of all I would like to thank all of those that worked so hard to make our conference a success . We worked very hard to make the training , in particular , more timely and relevant and I have heard nothing but positive remarks about the speakers and the substance of their presentations . As always , the expo was well attended and the products presented there represented the cutting edge of law enforcement technological advancement . The spouse event was also well attended and very nice and I have to thank my wife , Nancy , and those that helped her make this a meaningful part of the overall event . Lastly , the inaugural dinner itself was really significant and I considered it not only an appropriate opportunity to reiterate my platform but also to thank and recognize all of those remarkably talented people that I serve with at the NJSACOP who all share equally in the successes of this remarkable organization .
As on most occasions in the past , we kind of expected that these summer months would provide an opportunity for breathing room before we resume our frenetic schedule in the fall but , alas , that was not to be so . On my very first morning of my presidency , in fact , I was directed to a cartoon that had been published by a major NJ newspaper that day . This cartoon featured a child of color wearing a klan costume and explaining to his mother that he donned it because of a fear of being " hassled " by the police . Along with our brothers in our labor unions , we immediately responded , in our case joined by the leaders of communities of color , who also found this unfortunate invective more than troubling and distasteful . That support was not available by accident . For this I have to cite the hard work that the leaders of this organization have put in for years to open the channels of communication between us and these constituencies that are so critical to our future relevance and success .
This unfortunate incident then led to our representatives being invited to " Fox and Friends " to discuss it further . Fortunately , this discussion in front of all Americans in that venue caused most to agree that the use of a 1960 ' s era symbol of hatred from another region was not relevant or appropriate when presented in this way by a NJ media outlet . That , in turn led to what we believe are constructive discussions with that media outlet , leaving us , perhaps , more hopeful of fairer coverage of police issues in the future . This experience has also led us to reconsider the importance of social media and to appreciate a critical need for us to reestablish a positive footprint to improve our effectiveness and relevance in these times which are difficult for the best of us to understand .
While all of this swirled during July , we endured one of the most deadly months insofar as police fatalities due to gunfire . These were driven by several EDP incidents and also incidents of outright ambush scenarios of police in jurisdictions across the country . We also noted what appears to be a dramatic increase in rapid escalation scenarios , many leading to tragic outcomes . Building on the earlier but related topic , Fox again invited our representatives on five more occasions , giving us , for the first time , the opportunity to discuss these tragedies with a greater audience . On each occasion we had the opportunity to advocate for important issues such as greater circumspection in the treatment of dangerously disturbed individuals and , in particular , more ready access to less lethal devices to help to resolve these issues that been so rapidly and so inappropriately thrust upon us .
In my " spare " time I wrote the new administration on both the less lethal issue and also on civil service reform , both issues of high interest to us and both of those that were important parts of my platform . On the less lethal front we have had limited discussions driven in part by very unfortunate shooting scenarios where this technology could have , perhaps , averted an unfortunate result . No news yet on the civil service front but I can tell you that there also time is on our side . Communities of interest and color have , understandably , grown tired of the only answer that we could really give on the under-representation of individuals of color in our ranks , that being ; " we have to hire from the lists and the lists are underinclusive as to people of color ." In my letter I have asked the administration to consider instituting statewide a program that civil service has utilized in places like Camden . This would allow civil service agencies to hire certified class two special officers and to promote them after a period of credible service . This is similar to the former police assistant program but I believe better in that the class two is much more relevant to what our police officers really do as opposed to the assistant role .
I ' ll see you all soon but in the meanwhile we ' ll keep pitching ...
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | September 2018
Chief Richard J . Buzby , Jr . NJSACOP President
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