East Orange, NJ, November 30, 2023: Mayor Ted R. Green, East Orange City Council, Department of Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd and Police Chief Phyllis L. Bindi announced that the East Orange Police Department (EOPD) has been awarded two U.S. Department of Justice grants — totaling $1,550,000 — to bolster the agency’s capacity to protect and serve the citizens of East Orange.
The COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Hiring Grant, which was awarded to EOPD earlier this month, advances the practice of community policing through the hire or rehire of additional career law enforcement officers. One of 26 grantees in the State of New Jersey, EOPD was awarded $1,250,000 to hire 10 more police officers.
EOPD also recently received the Rural and Small Department Violent Crime Reduction Grant in the amount of $300,000 to implement an East Orange Prevention-Focused Community Engagement Program. The overall goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based crime reduction strategy that will not only reduce violent crime within East Orange, but also hold officers accountable for policing in a fair, impartial, and constitutional manner.
“Both of these grants allow us to continue to build trust, mutual respect and stronger relationships between our officers and the people of our community,” said Mayor Green, who has prioritized public safety since taking office in 2018. “By working together, our officers and community members can collectively identify and address the root causes of crime and move toward solutions that will make East Orange a safer and more harmonious place to live, work and play.”
Bindi said the grant funds will be used to leverage existing partnerships to increase community engagement and to target specific geographic areas identified as “hot spots” with a disproportionate number of major crimes. Community outreach activities will include “Coffee with a Cop,” the Public Safety Youth Academy, Sports and Mentoring Programs, Pop-Up Summer Block Parties, Community Resource Fairs, and the “East Orange Cares” Initiative. A special emphasis will also be placed on school safety and ensuring safe passages for our students to and from school.
“We understand that our ability to effectively combat crime depends on the public’s perception of the legitimacy and actions of our officers. These two grants will increase our manpower and our ability to execute a comprehensive community engagement program that will improve transparency, accountability, and most of all, trust,” said Bindi.
One of the first objectives of the crime reduction grant is to raise the department’s profile on social media to enhance communications between EOPD and community stakeholders. The Community Relations Division of EOPD will kick off this initiative during a launch event to be held during the city’s Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 7, 2023 at 5pm at 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ. To learn more, please call 973.266.5070.