A week at the Somerset County Sheriffs Office in New Jersey and the NYPD

Last week I had the opportunity to watch the American police for a few days. Through the International Police Association (IPA), I met William Schievella -Bill- of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey last year. He then showed me around a number of police locations in New York.

This contact was so pleasant that my 2nd visit last week resulted from it

Bill and his colleagues put together a complete program for me. Below is a summary of these fantastic days.

On day 1 I immediately started with some action because I went out with K9 dog handler (K9 stands for the dog brigade) Justin, a police professional in heart and soul. Nice to see how humans and animals work together in this police profession. This day also got a tour of Somerset County jail. The jail there is often combined with the police station and town hall and falls under the responsibility of the sheriff.

The next day a surveillance with “Justin 2” and explored the entire Hudson County working area with him. Received an explanation of the different focus areas and working methods. He introduced me to many other colleagues, all of whom were doing solo surveillance in the area. Every time we stopped and got out, there was also a pleasant conversation with this colleague and a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the profession among them as well. What I have noticed is that the love for the police profession often spreads through generations, from 2nd, 3rd and even to a 4th generation.

I am very appreciative that Chief of Agency Affairs Gloria Frank and Lieutenant Lawanda Irving , both of the Port Authority NY/NJ Police department, also made time for me to meet. This very important business unit, also called the Port Authority, manages the bridges, tunnels, airports and seaports of New York and New Jersey.

Then visited various departments at NYPD headquarters, located at 1 Police Plaza.

The program had even more in store for me, namely a look at the ins and outs of a New York (City) police station. For this we visited the 13th Precinct (PCT) and received a warm welcome from Inspector John Corbisiera and his team.

I found the memorial monument placed in front of this office with photos of colleagues who died in the attack on the WTC towers in 2001 very special.

What driven and passionate people work there. Received an explanation about the challenges that a police station in New York (City) faces, the most common types of reports and the influence of this on police colleagues.

After these conversations, my respect for the commitment, working methods, reflections and vision of the people within these police organizations increases even further.

We had great conversations with them about various matters, such as changing business operations, changing external influences and the expectations of citizens. Also talked about the differences and similarities between our organizations in America and the Netherlands.

Anyone who knows me knows, of course, that I would also like to see a traffic department and speak to colleagues there. This also worked and we went to the Woodbridge Police for this. A place in the state of New Jersey.

That really felt like coming home. Initially surprised faces at first, who is this man in a different uniform. But after explanation, a lot of enthusiasm and questions arose. These conversations showed that there are many similarities, but also many differences. Through these conversations you also think carefully about what else we can improve / strengthen / learn from each other. Would have loved to stay longer, but time flew by and we had to move on. Of course I couldn't leave without taking another group photo.

On the last day I met Sheriff Darrin Russo and his undersheriffs. They collectively are the team responsible for Somerset County Sheriff's Office. A police organization on the move and with a strong bond with the inhabitants of the County. The latter is reinforced by the system in which the Sheriff is elected every 3 years by the inhabitants. We have spent some time exchanging ideas about the various developments that concern us as police organizations in the various countries. Also to Paul Kaminsky, Timo Pino, Joseph Lombaro and Michelle Royer Michelle Royer, special thanks for the nice conversations.

Many thanks to Sheriff Darrin Russo Russo and Bill Schievella for the warm welcome and great program. How I enjoyed!

Everyone who reads this will understand that I have invited them all to come to the Netherlands to take a look at our organization. An organization that I am proud of and that likes to share its knowledge and professionalism with colleagues from other units and countries

Unfortunately I flew back on Tuesday evening, but I look back on a few very instructive and interesting days and encounters. Worth repeating.

This visit would not have been possible without the opportunity and permission of my team management, so I would like to mention 4 names in particular.?Marc van de Broeke, Jan Strijk , Gerard Bresser and Shanta Ganeshi.?Thank you very much for letting me do this!

#politie #IPA #police #kennisdeling