UNION COUNTY, NJ — Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli, in partnership with the Union County Board of County Commissioners, have launched a countywide community initiative designed to assist in making Union County a safer place to live, work and visit called the Safe Place Initiative. This program represents an active partnership between local police departments, businesses, social organizations and schools to further New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin’s statewide efforts to combat bias, hate and violence.
Safe Place participants will display a decal designating their establishment a “safe place” for any individual to enter and call law enforcement should they feel unsafe. This initiative began in Seattle, Wash., as an effort to reduce LGBTQ+ bias incidents and hate crimes, but has grown exponentially since its inception and includes all forms of hate and bias incidents, as well as student bullying.
“When Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin hosted a multistate coalition that would expand and strengthen federal protections against discrimination, we were inspired by that,” said Lauren Farinas, public information officer for the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, in an interview with Union County LocalSource on Thursday, Oct. 13.
According to a Union County Prosecutor’s Office press release, with all 25 law enforcement agencies in Union County committed to participating in the program, 23 of them being certified as of the rollout, Union County is the first county worldwide to execute the program collectively.
“The Union County Prosecutor’s Office heard what was happening in Seattle and decided to do it here,” said Farinas. “The program began in 2015 and has been growing since, and the Union County Prosecutor’s Officer decided to implement it into each municipality. So it will have a community liaison who will initiate the process. The program involves having a decal placed in a school, church, store or place that is marked as a safe place. So if an individual feels unsafe, they can go into this establishment and tell the owner that they are being subjected to a bias incident, who will contact the police. The local municipality would deal with this, most likely the local police department. If it’s in a school, instead they will go through its normal procedures, based on the school’s anti-bullying policy.”
“Our Union County Safe Place program is designed to assist all victims of hate, bullying and bias offenses that include, but are not limited to, race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, national origin or ethnicity,” said Daniel in a press release. “Any individual who sees a Safe Place logo will know that the establishment displaying the decal will provide a safe place where victims of these offenses can seek refuge while the police are notified and arrive to assist them.”
Officer Dorian Korieo of the Seattle Police Department, the event’s keynote speaker, explained the origins of the Safe Place program and the statistics that support the benefits of the program. He also recognized Union County for having the most law enforcement agencies bring this program to fruition and Kean University for being the first university to be certified in New Jersey. After Korieo served as keynote speaker at the Safe Place rollout in Union County, he was scheduled to be in Dallas later in the week, where he was to be honored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as the worldwide winner of the Association’s Humane and Civil Rights Award.
“The concept of this program is simple, and I think that every municipality across the board in Union County should get involved,” said Commissioner Chairperson Rebecca Williams, who was also in attendance at the launch of the countywide community initiative, in a press release. “If a crime victim enters a place of business that is marked a Safe Place location, they know that they are guaranteed help from the owners or staff at that site. Everyone should feel safe, no matter their age, identity, culture or sexual orientation, and this is an easy way to show our solidarity and ensure Union County continues to be a great place to live, work or visit.”
“A lot of the time, biased crimes typically go unreported, and it is important for our residents to know that our local police departments do take these hate crimes seriously,” said Union County Commissioner Alexander Mirabella in a press release. “When the Safe Place Initiative was brought to my attention, I knew I wanted to be a strong advocate in making this happen here in Union County. It is so important for our residents to be aware of safe places they can go if they are ever in need of help, and this program is a great way to do so. I would like to thank our Prosecutor’s Office for putting together this kickoff event and making this program come to fruition in Union County.”
Law enforcement agencies throughout Union County are committed to the safety of all Union County residents and visitors. Safe Place sends a message to victims of bias and hate crimes that they will be treated with care, dignity and respect from the establishments they enter, as well as from the police officers who respond to investigate. The Safe Place program is currently in more than 300 municipalities in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Photos Courtesy of Lauren Farinas