The department addressed question and concerns from residents last week
The Burlington Township Police Department held a community forum last week at Faith Deliverance Worship Center. Officers addressed community members and allowed for questions and concerns to be voiced.
In addition to Director of Public Safety Bruce Painter, other members of the department in attendance were Lt. James Sullivan, Sgt. Arthur Gittens and officer Floyd Hazzard. Hazzard is a school resource officer, which Painter explained to the residents in attendance.
“They’re our juvenile officers, so they handle all our juvenile incidences,” Painter said. “It’s a very instrumental tool for us that has been very effective.”
Painter added he feels from a public relations standpoint, having police officers in the school have “softened” the image of police to students.
“They get to know Floyd and Javier on a personal level, and they see us as human beings, not just as a uniform,” Painter said. “It’s worth its weight in gold to have our SROs in the school district.”
Officer Javier Ortiz is another school resource officer in the Burlington Township School District.
Painter also spoke on diversity in the department after a question from a resident, saying he thinks Burlington Township is one of the more diverse departments in Burlington County.
Sullivan said as of the conclusion of 2016, the Burlington Township Police Department was 76 percent caucasian, 12 percent black, 10 percent Hispanic and 2 percent “other.” The department is 91 percent male and 9 percent female, according to Sullivan.
“We need black officers, we need female officers, we need Hispanic officers. We are definitely trying to get our efforts out there,” Painter said.
The department also spoke on the body worn cameras and the restrictions that come along with them. The officers turn on their body worn cameras any time they are performing “enforcement activity,” according to Painter, which can include anything from dispatched calls to traffic stops. Sullivan said if the tapes contain sensitive information, the officers are not allowed to view them — only supervisors can. Sullivan is the only person in the department able to delete tapes, and the tapes cannot be edited.
Another topic the police department discussed was gang activity in Burlington Township. Painter said while the department does occasionally deal with gang members, it isn’t a huge concern.
“We do our best to combat it. In the schools, we try to combat it through our GREAT program,” Painter said.
Gang Resistance Education And Training and is a program that replaced DARE — Drug Abuse Resistance Education — in the district. The GREAT program also covers drug and alcohol abuse and is more expansive than the DARE program.
Painter also spoke on the importance of having security cameras in homes and local businesses and how it can help the police department.
“Video cameras are the best tools out there,” Painter said. “It’s great for helping identify.”
Painter added the department will go as far as to go door to door when an incident occurs and ask if anybody has cameras pointing toward the street
Painter said this is the third open forum the Burlington Township Police Department has held in the past year.
“It’s comforting to know that we can come out and we can meet people,” Painter said. “This way, when there is an issue that involves our department or local officers, our community has faith and trust in us.”
