The troopers’ mission in the city is to decrease violent crime, and the analysts will use the crime data they collect to target areas that need policing the most.
New Jersey State troopers on Chambers Street near the intersection with Tioga Street in Trenton's Wilbur section Thursday evening. Troopers on the street this summer will be complemented by members of the State Police who work in the Regional Operations Intelligence Center (ROIC) in Ewing, the statewide epicenter for the agency’s crime data.
“This time, we’re sending both uniformed troopers and our analysts from the ROIC into the mix,” said Lt. Stephen Jones, a State Police spokesman.
After three such deployments in 2012, the State Police made their most recent deployment on Thursday, sending troopers throughout the East Ward, where they were seen making motor vehicle stops.
The State Police’s intelligence units have been hooked into the city’s police force since before the last deployment of 2012, which began in December.
“We continuously review the crime scene with Trenton,” Jones said.
That information, which is being shared constantly, led to the latest deployment, though Jones said there was not a specific point in the ongoing violence in the city, which has claimed 21 lives so far this year with more than 120 people shot, that led to the decision the State Police should be sent in.
The troopers’ mission in the city is to decrease violent crime, and the analysts will use the crime data they collect to target areas that need policing the most.
“It identifies what spots are really boiling up, and which ones are not,” Jones said. “Sometimes, in an area the crime may only be the work of a few people.”
By shifting where the troopers are deployed throughout the city, State Police leaders hope to see violent crime go down in multiple areas. That will be the final factor in when the troopers are pulled out.
“To look at those crime maps after we’ve been in a little while and see that violent crime is down,” Jones said.
City police confirmed the troopers were in Trenton.
“They are in the city, but we can’t discuss deployments or personnel,” said Lt. Steve Varn, a police spokesman.
In previous deployments, the troopers have ridden independently of city police, and it appeared they were doing so again Thursday.
Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5705.
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