Troopers and city police were sent into the most violent areas of Trenton, Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said in a news release
A state trooper guards a crime scene on Calhoun Street in Trenton on Dec. 11, 2012. The New Jersey State Police began their third deployment of 2012 in Trenton on Dec. 15.
TRENTON — The New Jersey State Police began its third deployment of 2012 to the capital city this weekend, kicking off the “Trenton Initiative” with a dozen arrests Saturday, city police announced yesterday.
The effort to tamp down escalating violence in Trenton was set to continue last night, a State Police spokesman said.
Troopers and city police were sent into the most violent areas of Trenton, Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said in a news release. Patrol officers along with troopers from the State Police’s Troop C worked alongside the Mercer County Sheriff’s and Prosecutor’s Offices, using “saturation patrols and pro-active policing methods,” Rivera said in the release.
“The actions we took last night resulted in a good number of criminal arrests,” Lt. Stephen Jones, a State Police spokesman, said yesterday.
The road troopers were joined by members of the State Police tactical unit, which operated in Trenton during the two previous deployments earlier this year.
City residents have clamored for more action on crime as Trenton’s layoff-depleted police force sought to keep down surging gun crime. State Police help has frequently been mentioned as a solution.
Today at 10 a.m., residents will rally in front of the State House to demand elected officials declare a state of emergency in the city, which would give police greater power to enforce curfews and break up loitering groups. Young people from Trenton will be featured speakers, and all schools, organizations, and concerned citizens are welcome to attend.
On Friday, Rivera and officials opened up two police substations in the East and West Wards as part of a department-wide realignment. Two city police tactical units were dissolved hours later, angering union heads who say the specialized units are vital to the fight against violent crime.
No details have been offered on how long the troopers will be in the city, or whether they are seen as a replacement for the tactical units. Rivera commanded a similar initiative in Irvington and Camden from 2003-2004 while a State Police major.
“We’re not going to just be sending officers out on the street,” Rivera said during the East Ward precinct re-opening Friday. “We’re going to be sure we’re looking at intelligence-led policing.”
That intelligence will be run through the State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC) in Ewing and be melded with city police Comstat numbers which track weekly crime. The fusion of data between the two agencies has already started, and a State Police analyst has been sent to Trenton to work with city police, Rivera said.
“They made the commitment, they understand it’s the capital city and they understand the significance of that,” he said.
Rivera would not say whether State Police and city police would partition off parts of the city where each would work or ride together, saying the logistics have not been worked out yet. But Jones said yesterday the troopers would not be riding with city cops.
The intelligence will help police identify sections where violence is high, and the troopers and city police will be sent to patrol the grid, Rivera said.
“We are focusing, of course, on the shootings and the homicides,” he said.
Quality of life issues also will be addressed, however. While city police and departments around the country have used intelligence-led policing before, Rivera said his approach will be different.
“There’s going to be a plan and maybe that’s the difference from other places,” he said.
Rivera said the changes he’s made to the department — which included bringing back 15 laid-off officers on a federal grant and shifting more supervisors to night shifts — are working, and that he has the crime numbers to back it up.
“Sorry, folks: things are getting better,” Rivera said.
Arrested during operations Saturday were: 43-year-old Andrew Lewis on active warrants; 46-year-old Harry McKinney on drug charges; Coolidge Avenue resident John L. Craig, 46, on active warrants; 22-year-old Jeffrey Wilkins of Reservoir Street on a contempt of court warrant; East State Street resident Lonnie Langston, 22, on a contempt of court warrant and hindering apprehension; Greenwood Avenue resident Sakima Kearney, 30, on active warrants; Westend Avenue resident Corey Belton, 31, on active warrants; Fountain Avenue resident Jamil Thomas, 20, on drug charges; Philadelphia resident Eugene Whitaker, 34, on hindering apprehension and a warrant; Oliver Avenue resident Anthony Harley, 24, on active warrants; Tyrell Avenue resident Kevin Simmons, 36, on active warrants; and West State Street resident Jefferson Harris on hindering apprehension and active warrants.
After the ceremony Friday, Rivera vehemently denied rumors he will leave Trenton to serve as police director in Hackensack, his hometown.
“I am not going anywhere,” Rivera said. “I’ve made a commitment to this city, to the BA. Those who are waiting for me to leave are going to be waiting here a long time.”
Full operations at the precinct buildings began at 7 a.m. yesterday. Rivera said they will be staffed 24 hours a day.
Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5705.