Grewal on the go…
Whether negotiating with a bargaining unit, dealing with a
new attorney or confronting somebody in government, Grewal
wears an attitude that has made him trustworthy on both sides
of the aisle in Trenton and throughout the state.
“My response is that this is not a hard job as long as you are
straight forward and treat everyone respectfully,” the General
expresses. “It’s how I try to live my life. Once you lose your cred-
ibility, you’re done.”
Do the right things for the right reasons.
It would be easy to attribute this perspective to Grewal know-
ing that as a Sikh, his successes and his failures mean so much
to the community for which he is such a prominent role model.
It would be reasonable to evoke this statement as a government
leader who under the current landscape cannot afford to make
any mistakes.
But then you hear one of the assistants voice a perspective,
and you realize that this is Grewal’s mission statement, and that
of his office as part of ensuring law and order.
“It’s not the headlines or the big cases,” Davenport details. “It’s
every day, every interaction, every moment, every day, we have
to, as he says, do what’s right for the right reasons.”
“I know what his schedule looks like. He should not be able
to give an hour for us, but he does,” Colligan attests. “That’s one
thing we have never had. When they’re putting a task force to-
gether on anything regarding law enforcement, we have a seat
at the table.”
A seat near the head of the table, really. When the policy on
releasing body-cam footage neared conclusion, Colligan and
Kovar were out of town. Kovar called Grewal from the tarmac at
the airport before they boarded the plan and had a meeting set
for the next morning.
The AG’s office gave the PBA a seat at the table for its task
force on marijuana policies. That might not be an exact fit, but
a recognition that Grewal knows how this issue will affect law
enforcement. And his commitment to putting the perspective of
law enforcement front and center was certainly put to the test
when the state legislature recently pushed to have all officer-in-
volved shootings subjected to investigation by the AG’s office.
“When there’s a push to take the investigations away from the
county prosecutors, I understand why that doesn’t work, and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
No snow job
On March 7, the General made it through the blizzard that
hit the state the night before to speak to the NJ State PBA Mini
Convention. Governor Murphy was also scheduled to appear,
but declaring a state of emergency had him otherwise occupied.
This was Grewal’s first big chance to meet with the law enforce-
ment masses, and he showed up in a big way.
After his remarks, Grewal told members he would hang out
at the back of the Bally’s ballroom to talk about body cams, task
forces, reducing crime or even his passion for playing pick-up
basketball. (He’s affectionately known to rebound with his el-
bows out when needed.)
“I’m not afra id to mix it up,” he quips. Whether that’s playing
hoops or fighting crime – or both – it speaks fervently about this
power forward of a government leader.
Members gathered around the General for what turned into
an impromptu coffee klatch. They gave Grewal just what he
came for: a chance to interact, show that he will always be ap-
proachable and hear their voices. He has told the PBA that any
policies coming out of Trenton affecting members will not be
enacted without consulting the union first.
Grewal joined Governor Phil Murphy and NJ State Police Superintendent
Patrick Callahan to take a photo with children of offi cers lost in the line of
duty during Survivors Day in Seaside Heights.
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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