Police Partnership Program Launches Thursday

Parsippany Police Chief Anthony DeZenzo said he is excited to see how his new Community Police Partnership will be received by the township. This new education offering kicks off Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel, at 199 Smith Road in Parsippany.

The effort is an evolution from the department's previous offering, the Citizens' Police Academy.

"That was an excellent program, no question," said the chief. "Residents who took part in the academy learned a great deal about the department, and Capt. James Carifi and the other officers involved did good work with it. But we feel that this new Partnership Program takes the best elements from the academy and will make them available to a lot more people."

The new partnership program will consist of periodic gatherings enabling residents to meet their local law enforcement agency and learn about its programs up close and personal. 

"If you live here, work here, worship here or own a business in Parsippany, this event is for you," DeZenzo said. "You can learn about who we are, what we do, what we can do for you and how you can partner with us so we can continue to improve services and work together in the best interests of the community."

The chief said each partnership event will feature a theme, but the first one will be an introduction into getting to know the Parsippany Police Department.  

"It's give the community an opportunity to see what it is that the police department does. What does it do on a daily basis? How does it operate? Who's in charge? Who's the control division commander? Who's in the Detective Bureau? What do they do? For somebody that doesn't have a lot of time, this will give them a snapshot into their police department."

"This is about service to our citizens," said Mayor James Barberio. "Instead of you coming to us, we're coming to you. The police department is coming to you—going to our communities and letting them know, we're here, and this is what we do."

Chief DeZenzo said the partnership program will give residents insight into many of the department's community outreach efforts, such as the work it does with the and the . He said it will also acquaint people with services they may not know about, including the PPD's home and business security surveys, house and neighborhood watch efforts, information speaker series and more.

"We also want to make sure members of the community know about the different avenues the department has to keep the people informed, avenues like our website, Facebook and Twitter and Reverse 9-1-1 call system," DeZenzo said. 

"I hope people will come out and become part of this partnership," he added. "This is a good step for bringing our community together so we can partner with the residents to make the town stronger and safer."