May 21, 2019 - City of Atlantic City, DCA Announce Launch of Neighborhood Coordination Officers Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Program Enables Police Officers to Focus on Community-Oriented Policing, Quality-of-Life Issues, and Crime Trends in Their Assigned Wards

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver and Atlantic City elected officials today joined Atlantic City Police Department officers, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) representatives, and members of the Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board at City Hall to announce the start of the Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCO) program, an initiative aimed at bringing a more complete community policing approach to each of the city’s six wards and to the Tourism District.

The Atlantic City Police Department (ACPD) has assigned 16 seasoned police officers to the NCO program, two to each of the city’s six wards and four to homeless outreach. Beginning today, these officers will only work within their assigned wards and will be given time each day to focus solely on community engagement and follow-up. They will attend all neighborhood, civic, and business association meetings within their wards, will visit schools, and will concentrate on quality-of-life issues, as well as crime trends. Additionally, the NCO officers have been provided department-issued cell phones and email addresses so that people living and working in their assigned ward can relay non-emergency issues to them for action to be taken.

“With today’s launch of the Neighborhood Coordination Officers program, the City and its police department are taking a positive step towards deepening their commitment to community policing,” said Lt. Governor Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). “These police officers will be given the time to get to know residents, merchants, and youth in their ward and help community members navigate city government to get their issues addressed. DCA thanks everyone involved in this important program, which will do so much to enhance public safety in Atlantic City.”

“This is a tremendous day. I believe that this initiative, when combined with the Citizens Advisory Board, provides the foundation for robust and innovative approaches to community policing,” said Governor’s Special Counsel Jim Johnson. “We look forward to deeper police-community relationships, increased effectiveness and an environment in which police and community join together to create safe neighborhoods for all.”

“We are excited about rolling out the NCO program. It can only enhance safety in Atlantic City and forge a stronger relationship with the community,” said Atlantic City Mayor Frank M. Gilliam, Jr. “This is one more way my administration is willing to work collaboratively to move Atlantic City forward.”

“With the Atlantic City Police Community Partnership in 1999, I saw how officers assigned to specific areas paid dividends in police-community relations,” said City Council President Marty Small. “Fast forward 20 years later, we are making a similar commitment with the NCO program. We look forward to working with the officers and the community throughout all six wards and to building relationships that are conducive to great public safety.”

“I would like to thank the State of New Jersey, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the Mayor, for making it possible to hire 15 additional police officers,” said ACPD Police Chief Henry White. “These additional officers working full time on quality of life issues and neighborhood problem solving will have a positive impact here in Atlantic City.”

The officers will be split amongst the day and evening shift so each ward will have an NCO officer from 8 a.m. until midnight. Because the Tourism District touches every ward in Atlantic City, the NCO officers will be actively engaged in and around the District. Also, the four NCO officers assigned to work with the city’s homeless population will provide benefits within the Tourism District.

The NCO program is made possible by a five-year funding commitment from the CRDA. The CRDA will provide $1.5 million a year for a total of $7.5 million. The CRDA funds are not being used to directly pay for the salaries of the NCO officers, but rather to fund 15 new patrol officers who are filling the positions relinquished by the officers assigned to the NCO program. All of the new patrol officers are Atlantic City residents and represent the diversity of the city’s population. Notably, any remaining balance in the CRDA’s funding commitment will be used to hire additional Special Law Enforcement Officers who will be assigned to the Tourism District during the summer season.

“The CRDA proudly joins Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, the City of Atlantic City, and the Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board in their commitment to this community policing approach,” said CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty. “The NCO program is a significant step toward better community relations and support for Atlantic City residents.”

The NCO program is the latest effort to advance the ACPD’s community policing strategy. It builds on the police department’s community relations work that focuses on youth programs such as the Homework Completion Program, Cupcake with a Cop, and Holiday Basketball Game; adult programs such as Community Walks, Public Safety Health Fairs, and Community Care Meetings; and crime prevention. Also, the NCO program will work in conjunction with the recently established Atlantic City Citizens Advisory Board, whose purpose is to provide citizens with a regular channel for communicating with the ACPD and to facilitate problem-solving between the community and the police department.

Here are the officers assigned to the NCO team, which will be commanded by Lieutenant Wilber Santiago.

Ward 1                  Officer Mark Pincus                        

Ward 1                  Officer George Mancuso              

Ward 2                  Officer Thomas Gilardi                   

Ward 2                  Officer Nick Grasso                         

Ward 3                  Officer Lorenzo Bethea                 

Ward 3                  Officer Janicquea Harold              

Ward 4                  Officer Bryan Fleming                    

Ward 4                  Officer James Bower                      

Ward 5                  Officer Autumn Mason                 

Ward 5                  Officer Syed Shah                            

Ward 6                  Officer Jerard Ingenito                     

Ward 6                  Officer Albert Herbert  

Homeless Outreach            

Officer Mailon Demby                                                   

Officer Robert Nawrocki                                               

Officer Richard Lasco                                        

Officer Jose Gonzales                                                                 

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

For more information about the Atlantic City Police Department, visit http://acpolice.org/.

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