General Grewal asserts that part of his job is to be out telling law enforcement ’ s success stories .
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Attorney in Brooklyn , and as a federal prosecutor he was part of the task force that took down several dozen members of the Tamil Tigers , who were buying arms and raising money to support the civil war in Sri Lanka . The sting prevented missiles from being used to kill hundreds , maybe even thousands of people .
“ Just seeing the impact of that reaffirmed what I was meant to do .”
A glimpse into the life of New Jersey ’ s highest-ranking law enforcement official illuminates how he became a federal prosecutor , then Bergen County Prosecutor and ultimately attorney general , because bringing and supporting criminal prosecution was one of the ways he could back up the public service of first responders . The General rides 80 miles from Bergen County to Trenton , doing morning calls from the car . He concludes most days well after the kids have gone to bed because he believes the job entails leading from the front lines , doing the right things for the right reasons and , most importantly , being a man of his word .
Of all the all-American attributes , assets and accolades Grewal brings to the AG ’ s office , the most important to him is , in a word , trust . Trust now exudes to the NJ State PBA from his office , a place that didn ’ t always give so much of that to the union .
“ We have a guy we can call or text , and literally within a few hours , we can meet with him ,” extols NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan . “ I think what I like most about him is that he looks at things with an open mind . He is one of those rare guys who says , ‘ I might not always agree with you , but I will listen to you .’ And he really means it .”
A helping hand
No action or achievement might define Grewal better than Operation Helping Hands , which he initiated as the Bergen County Prosecutor and continues now in the AG ’ s office . The program accentuates a growing social responsibility of law enforcement to take on opioid addiction by working to send low-level drug offenders to treatment rather than to prison .
The hope is to break the cycle of overdoses and arrests by getting people the help that can save their lives and prevent them from becoming more threatening offenders who might matriculate to violent crime . Operation Helping Hands recently brought together 20 municipal departments to help get 156 people into treatment . It ’ s all about lending them a helping hand , and it defines one of Grewal ’ s inspiring catchphrases :
Justice with empathy .
“ When we debrief at the end of the day , we ’ re not as passionate about the number of arrests we make as we are about the number of people we help get into treatment ,” Grewal authorizes . “ That ’ s the story the press never tells . They think cops just want to lock up bad guys , not help them . The stuff I love that we do with law enforcement is about improving community relations , changing the conversation and humanizing the badge .”
Conversation with the General moves with purpose , an enterprise to keep up with the data and vision that fuels his passion . The next big idea is perhaps moments from exploding off the top of his head or from his team of assistant AGs , who bring equal energy and expertise to the mission .
His first assistant , Jen Davenport , who oversees criminal justice and law enforcement in the AG ’ s office , notes some of the sageness that often comes from Grewal . This scripture reveals the core concepts that make the attorney general ’ s administration so relevant to law enforcement .
Win every interaction .
Whether it ’ s a traffic stop , going into a school to speak to students or any of the hundreds of interactions that law enforcement officers have every day with the community , Grewal elevates awareness about the power of positive outcomes . With body camera and dashboard camera video on 24-7 surveillance , there is no luxury of a response going south . From reducing violent crime to improving police-community relations , there are hundreds of opportunities for wins each day that show the impact officers make .
“ This is what allows us to tell our own stories ,” the General emphasizes . “ We have millions of interactions that go off without a hitch . Take advantage of every opportunity . Win every interaction .” Be a man of your word . OK , this isn ’ t exactly how he words it . This is actually the response that several PBA members have voiced after talking to the General . Grewal would file this under the importance of building trust .
He gained trust from the NJ State PBA a year into his service as Bergen County Prosecutor . Shortly after becoming prosecutor , Grewal asked Colligan and Kovar for a year to get the office straightened out and moving forward .
“ I ’ m proud to say that on the one-year anniversary , he was making hires , doing promotions and providing new equipment ,” Colligan recalls . “ He was true to his word .”
36 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ SEPTEMBER 2018