Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop?s pick for public-safety director hasn?t been given the final green light by the City Council, but he?s basically on the job already, meeting with community groups and learning about the city he?ll likely live in very soon.

?I?ve been driving around getting lost,? said Jim Shea, a former New York City deputy police chief. ?It?s the only way to learn the city.?

Shea, 51, met with editors of The Jersey Journal this week to discuss his appointment, offer his thoughts on the city?s crime problem and, once again, explain his views on stop-and-frisk.

One of Shea?s challenges will be targeting different tactics for different neighborhoods, he said.

?A city, especially a diverse city as this one, you can?t treat it as one entity ? it?s a combination of neighborhoods,? he said. ?You have to dig into the districts and discover what each one of them actually is.?

Shea, who ran the NYPD?s youth and gang division, stressed that what he knows about Jersey City so far he?s gleaned from meetings with elected officials and community groups. Still, he said, he?s been told drugs and gangs fuel much of the crime that afflicts the city, and he attributes the rise of social media to much of it.

?It has its dark side,? he said. ?Disagreements with youth that maybe would have died out years ago through lack of contact (are) now being fueled because everybody?s in contact.?

Shea seemed eager to discuss stop-and-frisk, which has landed the NYPD in hot water with community groups and the ACLU. Shea, who devised the training program that he says resulted in fewer unwarranted stops, said it?s ?reasonable? to expect police to stop someone they believe is committing a crime.

?But you cannot have a policy of stopping people in some attempt to deter their future behavior,? he said. ?That would be unconstitutional.?

Shea?s appointment needs to be OK?d by the council, which is dominated by Fulop allies who will likely vote to approve it. The council is expected to finalize the creation of a public-safety department and approve Shea?s appointment at its meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.

The Jersey Journal asked readers on Twitter for questions to post to Shea. Here are some of the questions and his responses.

More Here

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How come the "best of the best" elected someone from Lyndhurst?

Quote:i assume that news such as these are great for those of us who voted for change ...

If the voters of Jersey City had wanted "business as usual", we would have re-elected Healy. The message does not seem to be understood by some.

Jersey City public safety unions' honchos fume over director pick, merger

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
July 18, 2013 at 8:06 AM

Officials with Jersey City public safety unions blasted Mayor Steve Fulop's administration yesterday for choosing someone from outside Jersey City to lead a new public safety department, saying the move is a "slap in the face" to officials who already work for the city.
Joseph W. Krajnik, president of the Uniformed Firefighter Association of Jersey City, said the new public safety director, who will be named at a press conference today, has "never walked a street in Jersey City."

"It's a slap in the face to every police officer, police superior, fire officer and firefighter's face to go out of Jersey City to pick a public safety director," Krajnik, a Lyndhurst resident, told the City Council at its meeting yesterday morning. "We've got the best of the best."

Sgt. Robert J. Kearns, president of the Jersey City Police Superior Officers' Association, agreed, saying he worries that the new director will have a steep learning curve as he learns about Jersey City and the two departments he will lead.

"Obviously, I believe it should be someone from within," Kearns, who lives in Jersey City, told The Jersey Journal. "Why not one of our own people? Why not at least look at it?"

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said the "rhetoric" expressed at yesterday's City Council meeting "is more of the same people protecting the status quo."

"We opened the process to internal candidates and it is ironic the union leadership is complaining about needing to live in Jersey City when they themselves don't live in the city," Morrill added.

Fulop plans to merge the administrative functions of the police and fire departments into one public safety department. Instead of one administrator leading each department, the new director will lead both. Each department will still have a uniformed chief.

The new mayor, who took office on July 1, hired a firm led by Howard Safir, a former police and fire commissioner in New York City, to find the new director. His identity will be revealed today at noon at City Hall.

Kearns said he has not been told who the new director will be.

In a meeting with The Jersey Journal this week, Fulop said the new director is from outside Jersey City but will move here. He has "a special background for what we're trying to do," said Fulop, who has called public safety a top priority for his administration.

The union officials who spoke yesterday also object to one director leading both departments. Peter Nowak, president of the Jersey City Fire Officers Association, said the move is a "mistake."

"You need a police director and a fire director, and that's how Newark operates," Nowak said.

Morrill said merging the running of the two departments will cut costs and save tax dollars while creating efficiency by eliminating duplicate overhead.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_public_safety_unio.html

If you were a girl Fulop, I'd give you a kiss.

This guy is a good thing and was well respected in the NYPD.

You have redeemed yourself with this appointment. Some JCPD officers and command will be sihiting themselves

TEAM FULOP - THE PUBLIC SAFETY REFORMERS

Stop and Frisk is another tactic to keep guns off the street... police know the bad actors already... they may carry them now, but hopefully they will think twice before they carry them outside with a S&F policy in place. So if a guy walking around in a hoodie on the hottest day of the year looks suspicious, they can stop and talk with him. It could prevent another religious building being shot up!

He was actually asked about Stop and Frisk. He testified at the class action against the NYPD on behalf of the department. He was the individual who trained officers on when they could stop and question individuals.

Today, he said that "stop and frisk" is a tactic that officers are allowed to do when they have reasonable suspicion that criminality is afoot. That is not a "policy" but basic policing. He does not support departments giving out quotas of stops that an officer must make, or support racial profiling.

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Well it's flying in New York City.

I'm trying to figure out what the people who say there needs to be separate directors are talking about. Does anyone have a description of what the "director" of FD & PD is supposed to do, as opposed to the respective chiefs? Is Director the same as "Commissioner"?

I do get a chuckle from all the complaints on NJ.com about "how come they couldn't find someone in the dept already". Talk about not getting it at all.

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That would never fly here, I will protest it and so many others as well.

I hope his first initiative is to create a Stop & Frisk policy.

experienced, outside perspective and non-controversial.

consolidating and streamlining.

next question: "What did you think of that Ethan Hawke movie, "the Purge"?

I wonder if Christine Petersen was in the running?
haha

JPhurst wrote Quote:

Sorry for over posting you, a friend forwarded me the Fulop email so I quickly posted it here. (I don?t want to be tagged as another GrovePath)

In order to move Jersey City forward, I know we need to break from practices of the past and search for the most talented people to lead different aspects of the city. I couldn?t be more excited about the team that we are assembling as each one so far has resulted from broad searches with each appointee having extraordinary credentials in the field.

Today, at noon we are having a press conference regarding my appointment for the new Public Safety Director of Jersey City. I was fortunate to have had applicants from across the country wanting to be a part of what we are doing in Jersey City and the press release below outlines the background of our designee who was one of the most senior officers in the NYPD. These are exciting times for Jersey City and I know Jim will make a huge difference.

Mayor Fulop Appoints NYPD Deputy Chief James Shea as Public Safety Director
Concludes National Search Headed by Former NYPD/FDNY Commissioner Howard Safir

JERSEY CITY ? Mayor Steven M. Fulop today announced the appointment of NYPD Deputy Chief James Shea as the new Public Safety Director for Jersey City overseeing the Police and Fire Departments following an extensive national search.

Shea, who will reside in Jersey City, has most recently served as Deputy Chief of the NYPD responsible for the Youth and Gang Crime Division, focusing on the expansion and enhancement of the division and targeting a reduction in gang violence. Other recent assignments have included commanding some of the toughest areas, working on issues such as robberies, street crime and terrorism.

?Jersey City has been dealing with serious public safety issues for some time, which my administration is committed to addressing immediately,? said Mayor Fulop. ?James has both the experience, knowledge, and management skills to implement real change as it relates to public safety and I am confident he will lead Jersey City on the right path toward reducing crime and making our city one of the safest mid-size cities in America.?

?Mayor Fulop has made an excellent choice in Deputy Chief James Shea as Director of Public Safety,? said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. ?Over the course of his 22-year career at the NYPD, Chief Shea has proven himself to be an innovative crime-fighting strategist and a highly effective leader. He has served the public with great distinction as a member of the NYPD and the United States Marine Corps. I know the residents of Jersey City will benefit greatly from his vast experience in law enforcement and his commitment to their security.?

For two years, Shea served as Commanding Officer of the NYPD Contingent for the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force, overseeing national security investigations, conducting briefings of threats and investigations up to the White House level, coordinating the planning and deployment for emergency management and high level special events, as well as coordinating personnel from more than 50 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

During his tenure with the NYPD, Shea also served as the Commanding Officer of the 49th & 47th Precincts in the Bronx, leading more than 300 uniformed and civilian personnel and overseeing all law enforcement operations within two communities each with more than 100,000 residents. In the Bronx, Shea designed, developed and implemented crime control and public safety functions including supervision of operations, investigations, training, budgeting, and quality control, as well as analyzing criminal and demographic trends and indicators for presentation to community groups, elected officials and the media.
Shea also served as Commanding Officer of the NYPD?s Citywide Robbery Division and the NYPD Police Academy, and has worked in a supervisory role in Manhattan?s Organized Crime Control Bureau and in the NYPD?s Patrol Services Bureau for the 28th, 9th, and 46th Precincts.

?Having led two busy precincts in the Bronx, James has the management experience to oversee public safety operations in a city as large and diverse as Jersey City,? said Mayor Fulop. ?Additionally, with James? specific experience in gang and youth violence, as well as terrorism and homeland security issues, he stood out as an ideal candidate for the position of Public Safety Director.?

Shea, a former United States Marine, is also a graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University School of Business and holds a BS in Police Science from the City University of New York.

?It is an honor to join the Fulop Administration and to work for the people of Jersey City,? said James Shea. ?I am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside the dedicated professionals of Jersey City?s Police and Fire Departments to enact Mayor Fulop?s vision for Jersey City.?
A search for candidates for the position of Public Safety Director was conducted by Vigilant Resources International, which is headed by former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir. The search was not funded by taxpayer dollars, but rather by private donations. Mayor Fulop has announced that his administration is creating a new Public Safety Department as part of his restructuring and streamlining of government.//////

First question "where should Jersey City locate its new red light district?"

@ the press conference. It is Jim Shea, former deputy director of NYPD.

any word? it's noon if you hear please post it.

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Why don't you wait to see if it's true before making judgments?

People LOVE to spout assumed nonsense without bothering to get their facts straight. As per NJ.com, the person selected for the position will be moving to JC.

NJ.COM Article

TBH, the fact that the heads of the two unions "affected" by this appointment, which has yet to be announced, have already opposed it (and, are speaking against it) makes me support it. Any action by any union head makes me support the opposite, really.

From JJ comments:

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Hey you never know..if he needs a job and wants to make a difference. JC is no NYC or LA but we could sure use him.

If you are a reformer and want to change the political inept culture of JC, you don't employ the same sort of people - Look outside the square Fulop! How many applicants did we have for this very important position?

Fulop wants every department head to live in the city, and then hires someone from outside the city to be public safety director? Seems a little contradictory.

I hope this isn't true. Santiago is a mixed bag. He did as much good as he did bad. :(

The rumored person for the job is Joseph Santiago. Former Irvington, Newark, and Trenton Director. Also held the position of NJ State Police Chief and Essex County public safety director. Very close ties to Mcgreevey which has me believing it.