[Glen Ridge Voice] It was a packed house in the auditorium at Christ Episcopal Church Thursday night in Glen Ridge and Bloomfield, as Glen Ridge's police department hosted a community forum for area residents and law enforcement.
A lot of the topics on the agenda had shown up frequently in the news across the country in the last few years: police-involved shootings, implicit racial or ethnic bias, and the need for better communications and relationships between citizens and law enforcement, especially in communities of color.
Glen Ridge Police Chief Sheila Byron-Lagattuta presided over the evening. Most of the Glen Ridge police force was present, as were members of the East Orange, Montclair and Bloomfield police departments.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office was represented by Quovella Spruill, chief of detectives, and Matthew Hanley, assistant prosecutor. Michael Campion was present from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey.
The Rev. Diana Wilcox started the evening with an inovcation that included a quote attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality."
