West Windsor Police Chief sets lofty standards for officers
Chief Robert Garofalo of the West Windsor Police Department has posted a statement about his officers’ commitment to community.
Dated May 30, Garofalo wrote.
“Yesterday, I received a message from a young lady who messaged the police department to tell me that she is scared for her life and scared for her dad, her brother and her boyfriend.
I have to say this message made me so sad. It made me hurt inside that the actions of someone in a profession whose very nature is to protect all and to serve the community broke that trust, committed this horrific act and sent a shockwave of anger and fear, which reached this young girl in West Windsor.
She went on to ask what we were doing to make sure this did not happen here and what we could do to improve community relations.
At this point, I was proud to say that as a police officer for 31 years and the Chief of Police I was confident in the men and women of the West Windsor Police Department. I was confident because we have spent a lifetime being a part of the community and making community policing the focus of our mission.
I want our history to speak for itself. I want our social media over time to show how our officers truly care about all members of the community and have been there for them regardless of the situation. I have personally developed relationships with our religious communities and consider the leaders of the over 13 religious organizations in town my personal friends. We have stood side by side with them in laughter and celebration and stood in front of them in times of trouble.
I have also met with our African American Parent Support Group and have had serious conversations throughout the years about the police and its relationship with African American youth in West Windsor. We have worked hard to make sure our officers are seen as helpers and friends and this effort is ongoing and constantly evolves. I am thankful for the wisdom from both Joy and Latoya who are always welcome for coffee and a discussion on what we can do better.
We pride ourselves in well trained professional officers who exemplify Courage Knowledge and Integrity.
These words are sewn into every West Windsor Patch and sewn into the fabric of each and every officer. Training is ongoing and never ends. In fact, training for our officers is a living, breathing life force which grows and evolves each and every year.
Learning never stops. Whether it’s a quick lesson at briefing, an online training video and test or a training class, this learning continues. I am confident that this would never have happened in West Windsor because of the training of these officers and their respect for all life.
Our officers are masters at de-escalation. When these dedicated men and women, who have faced COVID-19 each and every day without regard to their own safety and families, arrive on the scene, people breathe a sigh of relief because they know help has arrived.”
Garofalo noted mission and messages being distributed to both police department officers and community members, named names and organizations.
The latter allows for residents to say Chief Garofalo blows smoke or truth and no doubt those people will speak out if they believe he has misrepresented his facts.
Also, Chief Garofalo has set lofty standards for his officers to rise toward — cool, since life and profession should require reaching upward and moving forward.
The post includes a letter from one West Windsor police sergeant which deserves both mention and reading. Log onto the West Windsor Police Department Facebook and scroll to Local.Nixle.com.
We will get through this although the question on the table remains — will we be better people and better police officers because of this situation.