COURT HOUSE – As Black Lives Matter protests rang across America in summer 2020, one message from demonstrators was clear: Police departments need community policing and need to be better connected to the people they serve.
As part of a continued effort towards these goals to better serve its citizens, the Middle Township Police Department held a second public community engagement meeting Dec. 7 at Middle Township Municipal Building.
At the heart of these meetings is the Middle Township Law Enforcement Community Engagement Committee, a group of appointed citizens whose aim is to bridge the gap between police and community members who might feel distant, frustrated or unheard by law enforcement.
Police Chief Chris Leusner said that it is “important for me, as the chief, to know what is going on in the community,” and that this committee has been instrumental in connecting community concerns and experiences directly with the department.
At the meeting, which included committee members Dan Auld and Anthony Anderson, Leusner elaborated on the department’s decision to join Cape May County’s central dispatch system. The decision was a difficult one for the department, Leusner said, but when faced with costs to maintain and upgrade Middle’s dispatch center, joining the county’s dispatch center, in Lower Township, made the most financial and practical sense.
Leusner said that all his department’s dispatchers will find employment at the central dispatch center.
He anticipates a full transfer in 2022’s first quarter.
“It is going to be very sad to close the old place down. It has been part of this department for a very long time, but that’s progress and change, and we have to embrace it,” Leusner said.
The previous community meeting focused in part on serving communities that have historically been ill-served by police, such as the LGBTQ community. During this meeting, Leusner pointed to the Cape May County Special Needs Registry, where community members can flag a house or car as a place where a person with special needs can be found. Once this information is registered, police officers have that information at their disposal; they will see this information when making stops, home visits, etc.
He also said that Middle has had difficulty recruiting new police officers to its force. He encouraged members of the public to apply but noted that there have been few applicants.
Auld stressed that the police department needs to “work on its pitch” to the citizens of Middle. He noted that many citizens have a “background of negativity” with the police that needs to be worked through. He said that many in the community are hesitant to engage with the police and that the department should work on hosting events that put young people in positive contact with officers.
He said that “to reach the younger people, we have to come up with more programs that entice them to even come through the door. Whether that be sporting events, whether that be video game night at the recreation center where they all come and compete… anything just to get these young people out there.”
Several community-engagement initiatives were outlined at the meeting, including a Christmas toy drive, a “shop with a cop” day, where the police department helps pick up the bill for those in need, and a partnership with “No Limits Academy” to help build positive interactions between cops and children.
Leusner expressed frustration at the current state of mental health treatment on a federal and state level, and in Cape May County.
“I am very frustrated with the mental health infrastructure,” he said. “We lack the infrastructure right now, and the funding, and the resources.”
To contact Collin Hall, email chall@cmcherald.com.
