CITY OF TRENTON
MUNICIPAL PREVENTION POLICY BOARD
SUMMARY REPORT
Date ......................Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Time .....................12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Location ...............Compstat Conference Room, Trenton Police Department
INDIVIDUALS IN ATTENDANCE:
Children’s Futures
Floyd Morris, President
City of Trenton-Department of Health &
Human Services
Carolyn Lewis-Spruill, Director of Human
Services
Mercer County Division of Youth and Family
Services
Marygrace Billek, Director
Fathers and Men United for a Better Trenton
Jayson Rodgers, Chairperson
Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Abuse
Evon Judkins, Statewide Alliance
Coordinator
Juvenile Alert
Henry Condit, Youth Worker-Mentor
City of Trenton - Mayor’s Office of
Employment and Training (MOET)
Kayra Melvin, Coordinator
Mercer County Community College
Monica Weaver, Provost and Dean
Mercer County Probation
Sean Haar, Probation Supervisor
Trenton Police Department
Brian Amantia, Captain
Irving Bradley, Director
Barry Colicelli, Youth Stat Coordinator
Lois Krause, Law Enforcement Social
Services Liason
Walter Rand Institute (WRI)
Kristin Curtis, Research Project Assistant
Gwendolyn Harris, Associate Director
Shaina Miller, Project Assistant
Tracy Swan, Senior Project Coordinator
THOSE INVITED, BUT NOT IN ATTENDANCE:
City of Trenton
Samuel Frisby, Director of Recreation and
Natural Resources
Division of Youth and Family Services
Charles Jones, Area Director of
Burlington and Mercer Counties
Mercer County Division of Human Services
Michele Madiou, Administrator, Division
of Mental Health
Robert Taylor, Acting Chief, Division of
Youth Services
Mount Zion AME Church
Stanley Justice, Pastor
Rutgers University—Bloustein School
Michael Simmons, Research Assistant
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
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Rutgers T.E.E.M. Gateway/YES Center
Ken Karamichael, Director
Trenton Board of Education
Carolyn Gibson, Assistant Superintendent
William Tracy, Principal
Daylight/ Twilight School
David Weatington, Assistant
Superintendent
William Young, Coordinator-School
Support Services
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
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I) WELCOMING REMARKS
Irv Bradley, Director, City of Trenton, Police Department
Marygrace Billek, Director, Division of Human Services, Mercer County
Carolyn Lewis-Spruill, Director, Department of Health & Human Services, City of Trenton
o The business part of the meeting was called to order at 1:08 PM.
II) INTRODUCTION OF BOARD MEMBERS
o Each of the Board members briefly introduced themselves and the agency they represent.
III) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF DECEMBER’S MEETING MINUTES
o The minutes were voted on and approved.
IV) COMPOSITION OF PREVENTION POLICY BOARD
Irv Bradley, Director, City of Trenton, Police Department
o The following individuals were recommended to be added to the Board:
o Monica Barria (Division of Youth and Family Services)
o Ann Mendoker (Juvenile Justice Commission)
o Deb Megaro (United Care Management)
o Herbert Kemp (Juvenile Justice Commission)
o Jeanette Bennett (Mercer County Board of Social Services)
o The goal is to make sure that all of the right people are at the table.
o It is important that each representative on the Board have a substitute, so their agency is
represented at every meeting.
o Tracy Swan stated that the Municipal Prevention Initiative was planned knowing there
was an upcoming gubernatorial election. The funding is provided through the Juvenile
Justice Commission (JJC). The Boards are run by committed local volunteer members.
This initiative should not be affected by the change in administration.
V) CONTINUE REVIEWING DATA
Tracy Swan, Sr. Project Coordinator, Walter Rand Institute, Rutgers-Camden
o WRI researched the additional data the Board requested and will continue to follow up on
the requested data. WRI staff could not obtain data regarding the following information:
o Number of committed youths
o Number of adjudicated youths
o Truancy data
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
Page | 3
o Number of inmates with children by county
 New Jersey Department of the Corrections does not collect data on this.
o Breakdown of voting statistics
 Percentage of registered voters
 Disenfranchised voters
 Convicted felons
o Percentage or number of classified (specialized) kids
o Percentage or number of kids in gifted and talented program
o Percentage or number of kids in AP or Honors courses
 We provided this data for Trenton Central High School.
o SAT scores
 We provided this data for Trenton Central High School.
o Church/faith-based participation
o Children under the age of 19 in Alcohol/Drug or Mental Health services
o WRI staff will be able to expand the search further once the Board determines the data
points they wish to impact in Trenton. The new data was distributed at the meeting.
o The Board members were divided into four groups and asked to make one observation
each about the new data.
o Below are the four observations made by the groups:
o Group 1
 There are a total of seven (7) students enrolled in AP Calculus at
Trenton Central High School.
o Group 2
 More than half of Mercer County's Domestic Violence
offenses/arrests are assaults and one-third are for harassment.
(Personal Domestic Violence arrests are more prevalent than
Property Domestic Violence arrests).
o Group 3
 There are very few violations of detention alternatives. It seems as
though if there is a plan put in place for an alternative, there is
typically not deviation from that plan.
o Group 4
 The unemployment rate in Trenton in 12.7 percent. This is roughly
double the rate of the County and the State.
VI) CONSENSUS ON DATA POINTS TO IMPACT IN TRENTON
Below are the four areas, the Board voted to focus on.
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
Page | 4
 Fifty-three percent (53%) of the population (age 25 and older) in Mercer County
who have a 9th grade or lower education reside in Trenton.
 The unemployment rate in Trenton in 12.7 percent. This is roughly double the rate
of the County and the State.
 More than half of Mercer County's Domestic Violence offenses/arrests are
assaults and one-third are for harassment. (Personal Domestic Violence arrests are
more prevalent than Property Domestic Violence arrests).
 The violent crime percentage among juveniles (57.4%) is slightly lower than the
violent crime percentage for adults (58.0%).
VII) INTRODUCTION TO RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS
Tracy Swan, Sr. Project Coordinator, Walter Rand Institute, Rutgers-Camden
o
Risk factors contribute to youth delinquency whereas protective factors protect against
youth delinquency. There are five domains (community, school, family, peer, and
individual) that make up the spheres of the risk and protective factors. For each piece of
data that the group wants to change, the group needs to determine which spheres and risk
and protective factors most relevantly contribute to that data point in Trenton.
o For the January 13, 2010 meeting, the group is to review the risk and protective factors
handouts and complete a short homework assignment (which is detailed below and was
emailed to the Board on Thursday, December 10, 2009 and January 6, 2010).
VIII) REMAINING NETWORK ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Irv Bradley, Director, City of Trenton, Police Department
o Director Bradley requested that Board members who have NOT completed their network
analysis do so as soon as possible. He stated it is not a time-consuming task. Staff at WRI
are available to answer any questions Board members may have.
VIIII) NEXT STEPS
Carolyn Lewis-Spruill, Director, Department of Health & Human Services, City of Trenton
Marygrace Billek, Director, Division of Human Services, Mercer County
Irv Bradley, Director, City of Trenton, Police Department
Tracy Swan, Sr. Project Coordinator, Walter Rand Institute, Rutgers-Camden
o Carolyn Lewis-Spruill mentioned the upcoming “Cradle to Prison Pipeline” Summit on
January 26th at the Marriot. The Summit, sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund, will
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
Page | 5
focus on issues impacting children. Ms. Lewis-Spruill requested the representation and
support of the Trenton Prevention Policy Board. For more information, please contact her
(clspruill@trentonnj.org).
o The Newark Prevention Policy Board wrote a letter to the Chair of the Governor-elect’s
transition team detailing their efforts and accomplishments to date, as well as future
activities. Tracy asked if the Trenton Board would be interested in doing the same. Tracy
stated that she will forward the draft letter written by the Newark Chairs to the Trenton
Chairs for their review. Additionally, the Board brought up the idea of inviting the
Governor-elect or a representative of his transition team to an upcoming meeting.
Homework Assignment (Please complete prior to the January Meeting)
Instructions: Please review the four (4) items below that the Board brainstormed to impact in
the City of Trenton. Then, choose the Sphere of Influence (Community, School, Family, Peer, or
Individual) that you think most appropriately fits the data piece, as well as the particular Risk
Factors within that Sphere you think most appropriately fits the data piece. For instance, you
may choose School and then Dropout.
We would also like you to choose the Sphere of Influence (Community, School, Family, Peer, or
Individual) that you think most appropriately fits the data piece, as well as the particular
Protective Factors within that Sphere you think most appropriately fits the data piece.
Please complete and return to Tracy Swan (tswan@camden.rutgers.edu) or Kristin Curtis
(krcurtis@camlink.rutgers.edu) by Wednesday, December 30, 2009. If for some reason you are
unable to complete the assignment before the December 30th deadline, please try to complete it
by Friday, January 8th, so that WRI will have enough time to compile the results and prepare for
the January 13th Board meeting.
**The Trenton Prevention Policy Board will meet the second Wednesday of every month from
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm in the Compstat Conference Room. At the December meeting, the Board
decided to begin the business portion of the meeting at 12:30 pm starting at the January 13, 2010
meeting. From this point forward, the Trenton Board will meet at 12:30 pm and work while
eating lunch.
*Note: The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 12:30 pm. It will be
held in the Compstat Conference Room of the Trenton Police Department Headquarters.*
The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden
411 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102
http://wrand.rutgers.edu
Page | 6