Top Law Enforcement Officials In NJ Welcome Dozens Of Recruits To The Force
By Cleve Bryan
BLACKWOOD, NJ (CBS) – Sixty-eight recruits graduated from the Camden County College Police Academy Friday with 31 heading to the Camden Metro Department.
Recruits know they join a profession surrounded with tension nationwide after the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in New York City.
"Now with the whole Ferguson, a lot of people don't like us, but we're not all bad cops we're actually out there to help them," says Miosotis Ortiz, a single mom and Army veteran who will join Camden Metro.
The commencement speakers didn't directly mention Ferguson, but their remarks were often geared at the theme of improving police and community relations.
"It's an exciting time to be a police officer, but let's face it also is a challenging time," says New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman. "It's going to rely up you to balance vigilance with an ardent respect for the dignity of everybody."
Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo gave advice for community policing.
"Aim to build a rapport with the people you serve, and respect will come your way. It is not us against them, it is all of us together," says Colalillo.
Several of the recruits with military backgrounds like Cody Samposki who served in Afghanistan say they have experience building trust in sometimes hostile environments.
"You want to present yourself as somebody that people can come up to," says Sampolski.
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