Press Release 9/11/20

PERTH AMBOY – The Perth Amboy Civic Trust proposed establishing  a Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Council, presenting the proposal in the form of an ordinance to the City Council at its August 12 meeting and continuing to make the case for it at the Sept. 9 Council meeting.  Harry Pozycki, The Citizens 

The primary goal of the Advisory Council would be to advance best practice de-escalation policies through a partnership between community members and the police department. These policies, according to The Citizens Campaign’s Law and Policy Task Force, are proven to not only reduce excessive force incidents, but to also reduce police officer injuries and the costs of police abuse lawsuits.

More specifically, The Citizens Public Safety Advisory Council will: conduct sessions to hear concerns of citizens;  recommend to the Mayor, City Administrator and Police Chief policies to enhance the operation, management and efficiency of the Perth Amboy Police Department, including but not limited to policies that enhance de-escalation practices; serve as an advisory council to the Mayor and Police Chief; review any reports and performance audits of the Police Department with regard to progress on adoption and/or implementation of de-escalation policies; and  serve as an advisory council to the Mayor and Police Chief.

“Connecting the police department to the community in a shared mission of de-escalation is a key to continued progress on ensuring that force is only used as a last resort,” said Harry Pozycki, a Perth Amboy Civic Trustee and Founder of The Citizens Campaign. “This proposed Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Council is designed to do exactly that.”