Jersey City launches new police team to respond to non-fatal shootings

By Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
August 07, 2013 at 10:42 PM

The Jersey City Police Department has launched a Shooting Response Team to combat gun violence, city officials announced today.

The team's lieutenant and five detectives will work from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. when most shootings occur, officials said.

?By establishing a unit dedicated solely to investigating shootings, to gather evidence and criminal intelligence, we will have a cohesive and immediate response to these violent crimes,? Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said. ?Rather than to wait for information to come in from the different detective squads in the districts, this unit will work citywide on cases to bring closure and prevent additional shootings.?

The dedicated squad will investigate non-fatal shootings, quickly gather evidence, preserve crime scenes and interview witnesses, Jersey City spokesman Jennifer Morrill said. When the team begins an investigation into a shooting, it will be dedicated to that case for the first 48 hours, a key aspect of the success of the Operation Ceasefire program, Morrill said.

The unit will partner with officers on patrol to conduct ?hot spot? enforcement with the aim of curbing street disorder and gathering intelligence, Morrill said, adding that the unit leader will also work to foster a positive relationship with the community in order to further its mission.

Jersey City has recently seen a spate of shootings, including six murders in July. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office investigates homicides in the county.

The new police unit is modeled after Operation Ceasefire, which was first implemented in Boston in 1995 to combat a serious, large-scale crime problem.

?Ceasefire intervention was associated with significant reductions in youth homicide victimization, shots fired calls for service, and gun assault incidents in Boston," according to a study done at Harvard University?s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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