New Bridgewater Community Policing Program Coming In 2023, Mayor Says

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - A new program aimed at beefing up community policing in Bridgewater is scheduled to make its debut in 2023, Mayor Matthew Moench announced during the township governing body’s reorganization meeting last week.

Dubbed Bridgewater SHIELD, the program will provide resources to strengthen the relationship between Bridgewater police and community members, allowing police to not “simply respond when a call is made, but to be there before it ever happens in the first place,” Moench said.

The initiative is set to begin in the next few months.

“SHIELD stands for security, honesty, integrity, expertise, loyalty and discipline,” Moench said. “Bridgewater SHIELD will be a program running across all aspects of police-resident relationships. It’s a platform whereby our police department can get back into our communities and do true community policing.”

Related: Bridgewater Cop Suspended 180 Days For 'Truthfulness'

The announcement comes nearly a year after Bridgewater’s police force made national headlines sparked after a video began circulating of a fight between a light-skinned teen and a Black teen at the Bridgewater Commons mall on Feb. 12. The video shows township police officers kneeling on and handcuffing the Black eighth grader while the light-skinned teen is sitting on a couch raising questions of racial disparity. Read More: Cops Criticized After Stopping Teen Fight At Bridgewater Mall

Months later, anti-hate group Rise Against Hate sued Bridgewater Township over its alleged failure to release information about police officers. Wells Winegar, Deputy Township Administrator for Bridgewater, told Patch the lawsuit stemmed from a “clerical error” in which the township’s response was sent to the “incorrect requestor.” Read more: Anti-Hate Group Files Lawsuit For Information On Bridgewater Cops