Maplewood, NJ
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About
The community Board on Police was founded in 2018 as a collaboration between residents and the Maplewood Township Committee. The Board's roles include:
- Promoting a culture of transparency and accountability with the Maplewood Police Department (MPD);
- Advocating on behalf of the community with relation to their concerns about the MPD;
- Researching and suggesting training and best practices to benefit the MPD;
- Advocating for funding for specific training opportunities for MPD Officers;
- Reviewing data from MPD in order to set mutually agreed upon bench marks and measure changes and progress with regards to the MPD's nondiscrimination and welcoming policies, and interaction and relationship with the community;
- Public reporting to the Township Committee on aggregate data;
- Engaging with the community to identify priorities for civilians and gauge how improvements are being reflected by the community;
- Working to ensure a relationship of respect between the MPD and the Maplewood community
- Providing an avenue to publicly recognize the MPD for officers who complete additional training in line with recommendations of the Board; and
- Educating the public on laws, public safety protocols, the complaint and resolution process, and other matters as deemed necessary.
The Board is comprised of nine voting members: one Maplewood resident appointee from SOMA Justice, one Maplewood resident appointee from SOMA Action, one Maplewood resident appointee from the Community Coalition on Race, and six Maplewood residents selected from the community at-large. The Board is also comprised of a single non-voting youth member, a Maplewood resident between the ages of 16 and 21.
Ex-officio members without a vote include two members of the Township Committee, the Assistant Township Administrator, and the Deputy Police Chief.
Resources
- 2022 Annual Report
- Crisis Intervention Social Worker
- Community Board on Policing Agendas and Minutes
- Maplewood Police Department
Citizen Input/ Complaint
Community Board on Police – Citizen Input: The Community Board on Police invites citizen input that helps the Board achieve its goals and advocate for the community. This input may include ideas for Officer training, concerns about police and community relations, recommendations for Police Department evaluation criteria, and messages that advocate for priorities for the Board and the Police Department. All citizen input will be shared directly with the members of the Board.
Citizen Input can be provided by completing the form linked here: LINK
Police Department – Citizen Complaints: The Maplewood Police Department investigates all complaints of alleged misconduct, wrongdoing or inappropriate behavior by any employee of the Police Department. The Maplewood Police Department accepts complaints from citizens at any time and on any day. Complaints can be made in person, over the phone or in writing, and can be made anonymously or by a third person. The Police Department can also arrange a suitable location to meet you. Upon completion of the investigation a final disposition is determined. You will be notified of the disposition of your complaint in writing. In addition, the Community Board on Police selects three of its members to serve on the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which reviews all civilian complaint investigations once they have been concluded and reports their findings to the full Community Board on Police.
More information on filing citizen complaints may be found here:
https://maplewoodpd.org/professional-standards