Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
In an era when law enforcement and elected officials routinely pay lip service to community policing, Peppers’ visibility, compassion and willingness to engage with residents, business people and those at risk of committing crimes have earned him a reputation as the embodiment of it. “The way I chose to lead in my position was not in alignment with others’,” he said. “However, I am confident the department ideally embraces implementing community policing.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services doesn’t include dancing in itsThe office defines community policing as “a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues.”
“Most people in Newark with dreadlocks, they’re considered a gang member,” Wright said. “But, if it’s Peppers, he’s not going to treat you like that. And now, I look at cops, and I give them a chance.” Peppers, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University, said he wasn’t sure what lay ahead for him, though it would likely be related to law enforcement, possibly teaching or consulting.
No big loss. Npd response time is ridiculous