Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver

January 17, 2019 - DCA and City of Atlantic City Mark Swearing In of Appointees to Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, January 17, 2019

 

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and City of Atlantic City today marked the swearing in of appointees to the Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board, a newly created body that aims to foster communication between the community and Atlantic City Police Department (ACPD). The swearing in ceremony took place during the regular meeting of City Council at City Hall.

The Atlantic City Transition Report, which was issued last fall to provide a framework for returning Atlantic City to local control, recommended establishing the Citizens Advisory Board to provide citizens with a regular channel for communicating with the ACPD Chief of Police and to facilitate problem-solving between the community and the ACPD. The Board is also the designated place to resolve potential disagreements between citizens and the police department.

A city ordinance creating the Citizens Advisory Board was adopted by City Council and approved by Mayor Frank M. Gilliam, Jr. in December. 

“Effective policing requires law enforcement to collaborate with the community it serves so that residents know and trust the work police officers are doing to keep their neighborhoods vibrant and safe,” said Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, who also serves as DCA Commissioner. “We look forward to the Citizens Advisory Board becoming a true partner with the Atlantic City Police Department and a resource that residents can turn to for public safety-related information and assistance.”

“Community involvement is the cornerstone of running a productive and vibrant city. I am very excited about the implementation of the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB),” said Mayor Frank M. Gilliam, Jr. “The CAB will bring another level of transparency and is one more way that we can improve public safety in Atlantic City.”

“I’m excited to see the community and police continue to have a productive partnership that is conducive to improved communication and public safety,” said City Council President Marty Small, Sr. “The Citizens Advisory Board’s diverse membership will work well together in continuing Police Chief Henry White’s vision of strengthening the Atlantic City Police Department’s ties with the Atlantic City community.”

The Citizens Advisory Board includes 15 members who are residents of Atlantic City. Six appointments, one each, come from the five civic associations and the Boardwalk Committee; three appointments each come from the Mayor and City Council, and one appointment comes from the Atlantic City Board of Education. Two appointments of youth members, ages 18 to 25, will be made by the majority vote of the other members of the Board. All members shall serve a minimum of one year.

The following appointees were sworn in today:

• Charles Garrett, Venice Park Association
• Ruan Pugh, Westside Association
• Geoffrey A. Rosenberger, 1^st Ward Civic Association
• Tom Lamaine, Boardwalk Committee
• Frank Ervin, City Council appointment
• Delmar Hamilton, City Council appointment
• Farook Hossain, City Council appointment
• Joyce Mollineaux, Mayoral appointment
• Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, Mayoral appointment
• Constance Days-Chapman, Board of Education appointment

The Citizens Advisory Board will meet at least once a month in executive session with the ACPD Chief of Police and will have quarterly meetings that are open to the public.

The duties and responsibilities of the Board include:

• To receive/compile information from both the police department and the public so that the Citizens Advisory Board can review and report on public safety and law enforcement trends;
• To receive/compile information about best practices of law enforcement from around the country, particularly in the area of community policing and development of alternatives to incarceration;
• To provide citizens with the opportunity to converse directly with Atlantic City police leadership regarding public safety concerns;
• To provide citizens with the opportunity to give informed feedback on the performance of the police department with respect to public safety concerns and quality of police-community relations; and
• To encourage candid and collaborative problem-solving.

For more information about the City of Atlantic City, visit www.cityofatlanticcity.org.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media: