JERSEY CITY—Mayor James Solomon announced Thursday the elimination of fixed police posts in the Southern and Western Districts, areas with the highest concentrations of Black and Latino arrests. The reorganization begins as the city reports historic crime lows: six homicides in 2024, the lowest rate in recorded history. Acting Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, who implemented similar systems in Newark from 2016 to 2021, said the department previously lacked performance data despite collecting required crime statistics.

The posts targeted for elimination were concentrated in the Southern and Western Districts, which 2015 ACLU data identified as having the highest concentrations of Black arrests (Southern) and Latino arrests (Northern, adjacent to Western District boundaries). Solomon identified these posts as possible targets in a policy paper from his 2025 campaign. He cited conversations with community members and officers, who said the posts created "the appearance of a police state" and reduced tactical flexibility. The specific pastor or community organization representing the "police state" critique was not identified in source materials.

In addition to the post eliminations, all district commanders will face accountability in monthly meetings beginning on March 24. Three new units will also form: Domestic Violence, Robbery, and Community Engagement. The department will restore the Motorcycle Squad. The domestic violence unit follows the deaths of two teachers from domestic violence in early 2023.

The reorganization redirects $5 million annually from the fixed post salaries to technology, equipment and training. At the press conference Solomon also introduced JC IMPACT (Integrated Metrics for Public Accountability and Community Trust), a police management system based on the NYPD’s CompStat. It will track response times, 911 call center performance, violent crime clearance rates, evidence processing times, GPS patrol tracking, domestic violence case closures, and traffic crash data.

The announcement marks a shift from the previous administration's NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System), implemented in January 2024 under former Public Safety Director James Shea. Shea, who resigned before Solomon took office, declined to release separate CompStat figures in December 2024, explaining that NIBRS counts multiple crime types per incident and provides "much more granular" data than CompStat.

Academic research on CompStat-style systems has documented significant drawbacks. A 2004 study of Newark officers found that 59 percent believed CompStat made supervisors place "too much emphasis on statistics," while only 27 percent said it improved teamwork. Researchers documented incidents of commanders reclassifying crimes to improve numbers, with one sergeant noting "numbers are changed all of the time." Newark's CompStat era coincided with a 2014 Department of Justice investigation that found corruption and biased policing, resulting in a 2016 federal consent decree.

Councilman Frank Gilmore supported Solomon’s plan, urging community-centered policing that "meets people where they are." Councilman Michael Griffin said data-driven decisions help officers "better understand what we need to ensure a grandmother can cross Monticello Avenue without fear or worry." Implementation began March 15 according to city documents, with the first JC IMPACT meeting scheduled for March 24.

Sources:

• Hudson County View, "Solomon & Ambrose bringing Jersey City PD out of 'Stone Age' with major reorg" (March 20, 2026)

• Jersey City Official Website, "Reorganization To Replace Outdated Policing Model" (March 20, 2026)

• Patch, "Jersey City's New Public Safety Plan: Quicker 911 Response, More Crime Statistics, Domestic Violence Unit" (March 20, 2026)

• ACLU, "Rutgers and Walter Rand Institute Release New Report Finding Stark Racial Disparities in Jersey City Police Department" (November 2015)

• Solomon for Jersey City Campaign, "Public Safety Policy" (2025)

• Paterson Press/Herald News, "CompStat began in NYPD and spread" (August 2016)

• Herald News, "Newark police to undergo federal monitoring after agreement with Justice Department" (March 2016)