NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- Officer Jeff Perez makes it his business to know yours. A 16-year veteran with the Newburgh police department, Perez has seen a thing or two on the streets deemed too dangerous by those living there.
“The officers go out there every day, trying to make a difference," said Perez. "We’ve emphasized our foot patrol, our patrol plans ... We’ve been out working with the community trying to make a difference, and it’s heartbreaking to see these young men and women out there getting shot and getting hurt."
Just last year, 55 people were shot in the city, three of them fatally. For a population of a little less than 30,000, those numbers are staggering. So far this year, at least 13 people have been shot -- one of those taking the life of a young father of four.
“We know we can’t prevent everything, but we know that one shooting is too many in Newburgh," said Newburgh Police Chief Dan Cameron. "So we will continue doing this until there are no shootings in Newburgh."
Cameron says the department is understaffed, and that cops are being stretched thin. To help, Cameron utilizes state funding aimed at minimizing the number of shootings and curbing group violence.
One way they do that, with the help of a full-time crime analyst, is through "hot spot" policing.
"[The goal is] to really use that data to focus our attention on hot spots and the small percentage of the people who are committing a majority of the violence," he explained.
While the police are doing their part to pull the city out of a cycle of violent crime, Perez says they can’t do it alone.
“I think that [it would help] if we can get a lot more support with the community, if a lot of our churches get involved and are out there speaking with people in the community," he said. "We can’t arrest our way out of this. This is going to take not just the police, but the community to be involved."
But the community and the police know they’ve got a long way to go before they’re out of the headlines.
“Perception is reality, though," admitted Cameron. "So if people’s perception of the city of Newburgh is that it’s an unsafe place, until that perception is changed, then we have our work cut out for us."
Being a cop in the crime-ridden city is a job not many would envy. But it’s a job the mothers and fathers and children of Newburgh need and rely on.
It’s a job Perez says doesn’t get much love, but that doesn’t bother him. And it certainly won’t stop him from patrolling the very streets on which he grew up.
The department will continue to work hard to foster a strong and trusting relationship with Newburgh residents. That’s what we’ll explore in part three.