The Summit Police Department is proud to announce that it was selected by New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino as the 2017 recipient of the Attorney General’s Outstanding Community Policing Award.
At a special event held at Rutgers University on May 22, Attorney General Porrino presented Chief Weck with the award as recognition for the Department’s trailblazing efforts in the area of community policing. Chief Weck was accompanied by Union County Acting Prosecutor Grace H. Park, Summit Mayor Nora Radest, and City Administrator Michael Rogers. Members of the police department Community Policing Unit and Support Services Division, including Captain Andrew Bartolotti, Lieutenant Rick Proctor, Sergeant Charlie Daly, and Officer Matt Tarentino also attended.
The Summit Police Department offers a number of community outreach programs and facilitates these initiatives through strong cooperative partnerships with the City Administration, Summit Board of Education, Department of Community Programs, houses of worship, and other community leaders to build strong relationships with Summit residents, businesses, schools, and visitors. The police department was one of six agencies in New Jersey recognized by the Attorney General for innovatively addressing public safety needs through dynamic engagement within the community.
“The community policing efforts put forth by Chief Weck and the Summit Police Department highlight the strong commitment of our law enforcement officers to continually work to develop our cities, towns, and neighborhoods,” said Union County Prosecutor Grace Park. “I am proud that our county fosters this level of commitment to proactive police outreach and I look forward to working with all of our agencies to continue providing exceptional law enforcement services to our county.”
During the awards ceremony, held at the Livingston Campus Student Center at Rutgers in New Brunswick, a video presentation highlighted many of the department’s hallmark outreach initiatives, including D.A.R.E., Summit Safe Seniors, Summit Street Smarts YouTube video series, Police Youth Academy, One Moment Three Decisions, driver’s education curriculum, along with its strong partnership with the city’s public and private schools.
“Summit’s police department and officers work hard every day to ensure the safety and well-being of our community,” explains Mayor Nora Radest. “This important award highlights the department’s commitment to providing exceptional public service. Whether in our schools, on foot patrol, ensuring traffic safety or in the downtown, I am proud that our police department is a highly visible and active presence in our city.”
During the awards presentation, Chief Weck provided insight into the department’s use of social media as part of its successful strategic outreach to help guide other agencies throughout the state.
“I would like to thank Attorney General Porrino and his office for this prestigious award,” Chief of Police Robert Weck commented. “Our department’s community policing outreach lies at the heart of our mission to protect and serve the City of Summit. All of our officers are deeply invested in the ongoing work to build dynamic relationships within our city and we are honored to have been recognized for our efforts. We are proud leaders in this important area of law enforcement and look forward to implementing outreach programs that will help us build a safer tomorrow for all who live, work, and learn in Summit.”
For more information about the Summit Police Department’s community outreach programs, please visit the City website at www.cityofsummit.org and follow its social media channels: Facebook/summitpd; Instagram @summit_pd; YouTube @CityofSummit; and on Nextdoor. The Department’s Community Policing Unit may be reached at 908-598-2170. Please visit the following link to view a video prepared by the Attorney General’s Office showcasing Summit’s CPU’s initiatives and programs.
(above l-r) Attorney General Christopher Porrino, Chief of Police Robert Weck, Sergeant Charlie Daly, Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park, Summit Mayor Nora Radest, NJ Attorney General Christopher Porrino, Officer Matt Tarentino, Lieutenant Rick Proctor, Captain Andrew Bartolotti.
Photo by Summit Police Department
