Essex Observer the Essex County COMMUNITY JUSTICE UNIT NEWSLETTER Prosecutor’S Office
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The Essex Observer The Essex County COMMUNITY JUSTICE UNIT NEWSLETTER Prosecutor’s Office VOLUME TWO • WINTER 2008 50 W. Market St., Newark, NJ 07102 • (973) 621-4700 • www.njecpo.org observed a drive by ECPO Speakers Bureau: shooting of four men from his apartment window. Gang Awareness “I didn’t dare wear red or blue and was careful about where I went. I The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Speaker’s Bureau is comprised never imagined this (gang of experienced assistant prosecutors, detectives and administrative violence) would come professionals. They share their expertise on various topics including gang Gang graffiti on a house in Essex County to New Jersey,” added awareness, substance abuse prevention, internet safety, child abuse, Detective Williams. Jimmy crime prevention and careers in law enforcement with the Essex County Williams is a Gulf War veteran who holds both bachelor and master community. degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a certified chaplain and Once regulated to the western coast of the United States, gang violence G.R.E.A.T. instructor. Detective Williams began his law enforcement career spread throughout the country like wildfire. Violent street gangs such as at the Essex County Youth House. the Bloods and Crips emerged in Essex County in the mid nineties. Essex “I want to have a great impact in the lives of children,” continued Detective County witnessed increased murder rates, drug and weapons distributions. Williams, who also served as a corrections officer at Northern State Prison There could no longer be denial about the existence of Los Angeles based and a police officer with the East Orange Police Department. gangs in Essex County. Detective Stephanie Treadwell of the Newark Police Department and Detective Jimmy Williams from the Essex County “I would like to commend Detective Treadwell and Detective Williams for Sheriff’s Department travel across the county as part of the Essex County their service both in the office and the community. They are extremely Prosecutor’s Office Speaker’s Bureau, to give gang awareness presentations dedicated and avail themselves any time of day,” said Lieutenant Earl Graves to schools, community and faith-based organizations. of the Essex Federal Gang Task Force. Detective Treadwell, a 19 year law enforcement veteran, began her career The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office began a gang suppression unit with the Newark Police Department in 1989 as a patrol officer. Five months in 2001 after rising gang violence erupted in the streets of Essex County. later, she was assigned to the narcotics division as an undercover officer. Gang members also began threatening law enforcement officials and Detective Treadwell has worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency on wire judges. The unit began with Lieutenant Arnold Valentine, Lieutenant Curt taps for narcotic investigations. She is an executive board member with the Schwindel, Detective John Dixon and Detective Earl Graves. The unit East Coast Gang Investigators Association and a certified Gang Resistance quickly grew with the help of local police departments, the Essex County & Education Training (G.R.E.A.T.) instructor. Sheriff’s department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency and Immigration Customs Enforcement. The unit currently has “I enjoy educating kids and their parents about gangs. We’re losing a lot of fourteen law enforcement officers. Other members of the unit also give kids to this violent lifestyle. Gang members are desensitized to human life. presentations to community groups. To some of them, it’s a normal occurrence to kill a person,” said Detective Treadwell. She was contacted by a pre-school teacher a few years ago Last year the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office identified over 3,000 gang after noticing that students were throwing gang signs (hand gestures). members in the county. Initiations are extremely violent and often deadly. “Children imitate adults. I encourage children to do positive things. I want to Males often have to endure beatings from several members at once. Females give these kids some sense of hope,” continued Treadwell. usually have to engage in sex with several gang members at one time. It’s common for females to engage in unprotected sex, which may lead to Detective Jimmy Williams, a native of Newark, New Jersey, first became sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. Initiations may also include aware of violent street gangs while stationed at Camp Pendleton in California murdering someone or engaging in other criminal activities. by the Marine Corps. He went to Compton, California on the weekends to visit his uncle. “It was 1979 and I was aware of street level gangs in Newark, but nothing prepared me for what I saw in California,” suggested Williams, a law enforcement officer for the past 15 years. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: After leaving the military, Detective Williams moved to Compton where he WORLD AGAINST VIOLENCE YOUTH CONFERENCE pg 3 ETHICS 101 WITH PROSECUTOR DOW pg 4 AWARD WINNERS pg 4 NUTLEY P.D. CREATES JUNIOR POLICE ACADEMY pg 8 Left: Detective Stephanie Treadwell, Right: Detective Jimmy Williams Q & A with Detective Stephanie Treadwell & Detective Jimmy Williams NGW: Do you feel NGW: Why do you that criminal gangs feel that kids join are a great threat to gangs? society? ST: I think a lot ST: The greatest of kids feel intimi- threat to our soci- dated into joining PROSECUTOR’S ety is broken gangs. Kids are homes poverty, and influenced by TV, MESSAGE Bloods Gang Member Crip Gang Member the music industry and video games. The Essex Observer Newsletter was conceived unemployment. This creates an environment that to familiarize community members and law breeds gangs and other forms of criminal activity. JW: There are a lot of reasons why kids join enforcement officials with the successes and gangs. Peer pressure is very strong and there innovations in the Essex County Prosecutor’s JW: Yes. Criminal street gangs terrorize are not enough preventive programs for kids. Office. The Community Justice Unit within the communities and leave people in fear of their lives. I believe that corporate America exploits the office takes preventive measures to discourage Gangs are destroying our quality of life. gangster lifestyle. They are making billions of young people from entering a life of crime. dollars pushing negative images to kids. They NGW: What are some of the basic facts that glorify selling drugs, violence, misogyny and fast Over the past decade, street gangs have you would like to impress upon your audience money. become a menace throughout the county. Gang when giving presentations? NGW: What tips do you have for parents? members are involved in all forms of crimes such JW: I tell kids that their actions today determine as homicides, drug possession and distribution, their future. I want kids to understand that if ST: Parents need to spend more time with their illegal use of firearms and robberies. Gang they join a gang they may eventually wind children. They need to know their children’s friends, violence threatens the safety of our community up dead, hurt or in jail. There are no medical their friends’ parents. The computer should be in and we receive numerous requests to conduct benefits or pension plans for gang members. a common area in the home, where parents can gang awareness presentations. In this issue, you observe what their children are doing. will read about gang awareness presentations ST: To give the audience a basic awareness conducted by detectives who represent the of gang culture. We target parents, school JW: It’s important they pay attention to their Essex County law enforcement. You will be administrators, employers and various community children’s behaviors. Observe sudden changes introduced to our 2007 summer interns and organizations. The information that we give is in clothing, attitude and friends. Look for graffiti learn about our World Against Violence youth not an exact science. Things change everyday. and tattoos. conference. *ST: Stephanie Treadwell, JM: Jimmy Williams, NGW: Nicole Graves-Watson The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to providing justice to all residents of Essex Congratulations to Mira Ohm for Winning the “Name Our Newsletter” Contest County. It’s imperative that all law enforcement officers abide by a code of ethics. In this issue, you will also read about the ethics course that I teach to new police recruits. ECPO employees who’ve recently won community and professional awards are profiled in this issue. You will read about new state laws that have gone into effect. Finally, you can read about Nutley Police Department’s Junior Police Assistant Prosecutor Mira Ohm is joined by Director, Assistant Prosecutor, Gwendolyn Williams, Prosecutor Paula T. Dow and Community Justice Coordinator, Nicole Graves-Watson Academy in the Local Police Section. Enjoy, COMMUNITY JUSTICE UNIT: Nicole Graves-Watson, Community Justice Coordinator, Paula T. Dow, Editor, The Essex Observer Paula T. Dow, Essex County Prosecutor Essex County Prosecutor Sandra Luna, Keith Harvest, Administrative Assistant Chief Assistant Prosecutor Lloyd Holmes, Andrea McCoy Johnson, Photographer Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor *If you have an idea or suggestion Gwendolyn Williams, of what you would like to see in the Director Assistant Prosecutor newsletter, please send an e-mail to nicole. Community Justice Unit [email protected] 2 • THE ESSEX OBSERVER World Against Violence 25 Students Joined Youth Conference (W.A.V.) the ECPO Team On Thursday, November 15th, the Essex County Students attended a variety of interactive work- Last July, twenty-five high school juniors from Essex Prosecutor’s Office held its 8th World Against shops, which focused around the theme “Time County participated in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Violence Youth Conference, entitled “Time for a for a Change-Staying Safe”. Prosecutor Paula Office Summer Youth Internship Program.