By David Cruz
Correspondent
Mayor Ras Baraka was trying to explain the many ways his reorganization of the city’s police department will save money and make the force more efficient. But, while he said there may be some consolidation taking place, the people in the department today will pretty much be the people in the department tomorrow.
“So there’s no police director, no fire director. There’s no deputy police director, no deputy fire director,” explained the mayor. “There are folks in the communications department, folks in other departments that are … community relations people, all that’s going to be consolidated, so there’s a few positions that are probably going to [mean] people will have to do other things besides that or used in a different capacity.”
In their place and, says the mayor, at a $500 thousand savings, will be a Public Safety Director and two deputies, one for police and one for fire. The plan cuts bureaucracy, said Baraka, and allows for more direct supervision on the street level. Flanked by members of the city council, who are on board with the change, Baraka said the new department will be headed by former Newark police director and current county prosecutors chief of investigators Anthony Ambrose.
“Allowing us to have the former chief of detectives at the county here on loan allows us the opportunity to bring a lot of the resources from the state and from the county level here to the city of Newark,” added Baraka.
Ambrose served as chief and then director of NPD from 1999 to 2006. His tenure was not without its
controversies, but, since joining the county, he’s gotten good reviews for his embarce of technology and progressive management.
“He’s been the chief of detectives at the prosecutors office for some time and he’s someone whose track record is exemplary,” said Councilman Anibal Ramos, who chairs the council’s public safety department. “He’s been able to pull in state police on various issues affecting the city of Newark and other towns throughout the county of Essex, so I really have to commend the mayor for taking this important step in creating a department of public safety department.”
Former Acting Mayor and current Councilman Luis Quintana agreed.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to see what can happen,” he said. “I have worked with him and I have had great experience him and results. During the Sharpe James administration he worked as chief and director and he did a great job in terms of keeping the numbers where they had to be.”
Some residents who showed up to today’s announcement were annoyed that the changes didn’t at least get a public hearing.
“I don’t think that [Ambrose] should be here,” said community advocate Sheila Montague. “He was here before. He didn’t have a record that was anything outstanding to what we’re dealing with now, so I don’t see the rationale for having him back again.”
Community advocate Denise Cole said she supports Baraka, but “I’m feeling some type of way because I felt that before this announcement was made that there should have been community meetings held in all of the wards, letting the community know that this was a decision that our elected officials were gonna come to.”
The director-designate was not at today’s announcement. The mayor says his appointment is temporary although he suggested that it could become permanent, meaning that the latest solution to what’s ailing this department appears to be Anthony Ambrose.