Ensuring Accountability and Action

City Hall's most fundamental responsibility is ensuring the safety and security of our families, homes, and communities. Team McGreevey is committed to working with neighbors and the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) to honor this pledge with real solutions and greater transparency.

Data Accountability

I will request updated Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data from the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) regularly and ensure the JCPD website reflects all crime categories reported—no omissions.

● On November 13, 2024, I asked Public Safety Director Shea to release the CompStat crime data. He failed to respond. (Read more)

● On December 5, 2024, Jersey City released its Annual Crime Report—yet rape was not listed, despite a 95% increase in reported cases from 2023-2024.

● The JCPD website still features outdated crime data from September 2024, failing to include key crime categories such as rape. (See here)

Crime Trends

Recent data obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request submitted on January 31, 2025, revealed alarming trends in Jersey City:

● Rape increased by 95% (nearly doubling).

● Burglary increased by 65%.

● Robbery increased by 32%.

To combat this, we must:

● Improve street lighting citywide with LED street light installations to enhance visibility and deter crime, particularly to address rape. 

● Expand real-time crime monitoring and implement more proactive policing strategies, particularly to address burglaries. 

● Strengthen neighborhood watch programs and foster better communication between communities and law enforcement, particularly to address robberies. 

City Hall's most fundamental responsibility is ensuring the safety and security of our families, homes, and communities. Team McGreevey is committed to working with neighbors and the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) to honor this sacred pledge by implementing the following 17 “action items.” 

We must commit to greater accessibility, structured leadership, and a particularized focus on community engagement. Key reforms include (1) updating the JCPD website to provide real-time crime data and greater accessibility to policies and procedures and (2) establishing a structured command system with clear leadership and response responsibilities so residents know who to contact for assistance. 

A resident’s first interaction with JCPD often begins at our 911 call center. Improving response times, implementing best practices, and enhancing coordination between civilian call-takers and uniformed police are critical. 

We must (3) modernize the 911 Call Center with enhanced training, technology, and protocols, (4) implement mobile data terminals (MDTs) in patrol cars to improve real-time situational awareness, and (5) deploy automated license plate readers (ALPRs) to identify stolen or dangerous vehicles proactively, before crimes escalate. 

To “bridge the gap” between residents and law enforcement, we must:

(6) Establish mobile police stations that are easily accessible to the public, allowing “real-time” problem-solving. 

(7) Staff school resource officers (SROs) under the JCPD Juvenile Bureau to support at-risk youth, improve attendance, and foster positive mentorship.

Jersey City must vigorously implement Vision Zero and commit to eliminating traffic fatalities through the work of the JCPD. We must establish:

(8) A Traffic Enforcement Bureau for stricter traffic law enforcement.;

(9) JCPD Walking and Biking Units to improve pedestrian safety;

(10) A Tractor Trailer Inspection and Enforcement Unit to correct improperly routed and parked trucks, regulate truck routes to prevent damage to our roadways and property, and address overnight parking violations; and 

(11) A Motorcycle Squad to manage traffic flow in congested areas and regulate e-bikes.

Additionally, we will (12) reestablish visible Residential and Business Parking Permits to improve parking enforcement, (13) mandate e-bike licensing and registration to enhance accountability, and (14) install cameras in school zones to better protect children by monitoring traffic and ensuring compliance with speed limits. 

Businesses have expressed concerns over burglaries and robberies. Adhering to best practices, we will (15) implement Detroit’s Project Green Light, which installed high-definition surveillance cameras in businesses throughout the City to deter crime, enhance public safety, and provide real-time monitoring for faster police response.

We must recognize the challenges facing our police department, namely, improving the effectiveness of the JCPD while responding to our neighbors' legitimate mental healthcare needs.

Jersey City now participates in the ARRIVE Together Alternative Response Program, which boasts a proven state track record of improving outcomes for individuals who encounter law enforcement by partnering police with a mental health screener on calls with a mental health element. This is long overdue.

In addition, Jersey City received the Seabrooks-Washington Grant, named in part after Andrew Washington of Jersey City. The implementation of the Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT) pilot program, concurrent with ARRIVE Together, is intended to provide more robust and appropriate responses to mental health emergencies. (16) We must operationalize ARRIVE Together and the CCRT to complement and inform public safety services.

Jersey City must work to develop (17) Mental Health Step-Down Units to provide safe and secure treatment facilities for the mentally ill and homeless. 

As my grandfather, uncle, and cousin served with JCPD, I am committed to strengthening the numbers, professionalism, and trust with which our police department and neighbors share these 21 square miles we call home. 

To execute this plan, Jersey City requires a Mayor and Council Team that will give the measure of their life’s work to be hands-on in implementing the strategy above to make our families and children safer while building a healthier partnership between our friends and neighbors and those who serve JCPD.