One of Grewal’s first big moments on the job was the opportunity to address members at the NJ State PBA Mini Convention in March.
LIVING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37
I’m able to push back against the momentum,” Grewal asserts.
“I can articulate to the legislature why it’s not a good idea. I can
advocate for the role of law enforcement, and also for good pol-
icy and practice.”
The General’s unconditional commitment to law enforcement
might be best defined by a simple interaction, after two NJ State
Troopers in the marine patrol unit jumped ship onto another
boat to save a man who was having a heart attack. On a Saturday
afternoon, he called each of the troopers to say, “thank you,” and
in the process perpetuated his promise as the state’s top cop to
acknowledge all such interactions.
“That’s just me,” Grewal reasons. “Sometimes, it leads to over-
extending myself, but the more officers I can meet and the more
voices I can hear, the better I can do my job. It’s up to me to give
them the tools to do their job, and best way I can do that is to
meet them. I have their backs if they do the job the right way.”
Dream come true
So Gurbir Grewal is living the American dream, and if there
was ever any question about that, check out how he ascended to
become New Jersey’s top cop. During the first week of November
2017, he took advantage of school vacation during the week of
the annual NJ Teachers’ Convention and joined half the people
from the state at Disney World.
While waiting on line for Journey of the Little Mermaid with
his own 5-year-old princess, Grewal received a phone call. Gov-
ernor-elect Murphy’s office was on the line. Just days after being
elected, Murphy wanted to know if Grewal would be interested
in interviewing to be his attorney general. Hard to believe.
“I had to step out of line and bite my tongue,” he confesses. “I
thought it was a friend of mine pulling my leg.”
Serendipity, or maybe destiny, spawned in the Magic King-
dom, for it seems like Grewal has brought a magic touch to his of-
fice. This past July, the AG’s office executed “Summer in the City,”
an operation that attacked violent crime in New Jersey’s major
cities: Newark, Trenton, Camden and Jersey City. The initiative
took 160 of the most violent fugitives, more than 60 known gang
members and seven kilos of drugs off the streets in five days.
Summer in the City is indicative of the ingenuity the AG’s of-
fice has brought to keep law enforcement moving onward and
upward in New Jersey. Another is the 21-21 Project, which could
be a game-changer for law enforcement because of its mission
to re-establish the trust between cops and the community.
Since March, the AG’s office has facilitated quarterly meetings
for every county prosecutor to hold with the public addressing
38
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ SEPTEMBER 2018
Grewal with Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Local 221 members before
they depart on the 2018 Police Unity Tour.
21st-century community policing issues. That’s 21 meetings
in 21 counties every quarter. The first quarter focused on how
officer-involved shootings are investigated. The second quarter
looked at the opioid epidemic, and the third quarter is currently
discussing at immigration policies. The fourth quarter will ex-
amine bias crimes.
“It’s much easier to have these conversations in a church than
behind police tape,” the General comments. “The goal is to al-
low law enforcement officers to do their jobs with the support of
the community so they better understand how law enforcement
operates.”
The view from the top cop about what it means to be the top
cop is about taking on the challenge of rebuilding the trust be-
tween law enforcement and the community. Combine that with
the desire to equip law enforcement with the tools and resources
needed to ensure public safety across the state, and these just
might be the ingredients to win every interaction, have justice
with empathy and do the right things for the right reasons.
The view of the top cop comes confidentially from somebody
who sits near the head of the table every day. Davenport sees his
drive, how he puts his heart and mind into everything and how
his passion continues to grow the more he is exposed to public
service. She sees how the initiatives are working to demystify the
processes and build the public trust. She knows why everybody
from the assistant AGs to the state trooper in charge of his trans-
portation detail just love working for the guy.
“He’s somebody who calls the balls and strikes,” Davenport
surmises. “Making everybody happy is not what drives his deci-
sions. What drives his decision is what’s the right action.”
It’s a dream come true. For the General. For law enforcement.
For the state of New Jersey. d