On Tuesday, June 27, the Institute and the Independent Monitor Peter Harvey will host a community forum to discuss the Newark Police Division’s draft Use of Force and Bias-Free Policing policies. The Use of Force policy can be found here. The Bias-Free Policing policy can be found here. The forum will be held at NAN Newark Tech World, located at 400 Hawthorne Ave., in Newark, from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
The forum will consist of two panels with representatives from the NPD, the Independent Monitoring Team, and the Newark community, and will be followed by facilitated discussions. 
“It is critical that Newark residents weigh in on these draft policies that will impact the daily lives of police and residents,” said Ryan P. Haygood, Institute President and CEO. The Institute is a member of the federal monitoring team. “Transformative change can only come with the active participation, input, and leadership of Newark residents.”  
 
For those who cannot attend the June 27 forum, they can submit comments on the policies via the Independent Monitor’s website by clicking here
On Monday, June 19 the Monitor and the Institute are also hosting a conversation with the Monitor, Peter Harvey, to discuss the First Quarterly Report for the Newark police. This event will occur at St. Stephan’s Church, located at 7 Wilson Avenue in Newark, NJ, at 6:30 pm.
 
Last year, a federal court approved a panel of experts—led by Mr. Harvey, a former New Jersey Attorney General—to serve as the Independent Monitoring Team of the Newark Department of Public Safety’s Police Division, in accordance with a settlement reached by the Department of Justice and the City of Newark.
 
More information on the Consent Decree and the Independent Monitoring Team can be found here. The First Quarterly Report can be found here.