The veteran Essex County lawman will officially take over as the city's first public safety director early next month
NEWARK - Anthony Ambrose has spent the better part of the last three decades in law enforcement around Newark.
Still, when he officially takes over as the city's public safety director early next month, his primary task will be one many others before him have struggled to accomplish - making the streets safe in a metropolis that, for right or wrong, is routinely referenced as one of the most dangerous in the country.
In an interview last week, Ambrose acknowledged that the assignment was a tall order, though one he was more than prepared for.
"I can't say that we're going to eliminate every homicide, every crime. There's always going to be crime. It's a tough job," he said. "But we're at the table, we see the real problems, and how can we act."
Ambrose's return to the city police after eight years heading investigations for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office was spurred at least partially by a concerning spike in homicides and shootings this year.
As of Monday, the city had totaled 103 homicides - 10 more than in all of 2014. Shootings, meanwhile, have increased more than 15 percent.
Ambrose warned that the police department's success should not be judged solely by the oft-mentioned homicide rate, and that he planned to attack all violent crimes by using strategies both tactical and interpersonal.
Anthony AmbroseHe promised to have a plan to fight the perennial summer spike in crime by March 15, and said he would use his deep history in North Jersey law enforcement circles to engage both federal and state agencies to help combat the drugs and gangs that fuel most of the city's bloodshed.
He also pledged to continue efforts to increase transparency in the department, and institute citizens surveys and other means to forge closer bonds with residents.
"I think its important we build the trust up in the citizens, and also let the police know that they're well deserved of the job they do," he said.
While many supporters tout Ambrose's long history with the department as an asset, not everyone agrees. His aggressive style during his tenure as police chief and director between 1998 and 2006 led some officers to complain about favoritism for well-connected officers and the alleged targeting of those who fell out of favor.
After the city announced his hire last week, several officers privately groused that they were bracing for a return of what they felt was an often-vindictive figure heading the department.
Ambrose, however, said he felt his time at the prosecutor's office had allowed him to grow as a manager, and promised that every member of the force would start fresh in his eyes, regardless of their previous history.
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"I can say that in our positions you're never going to get everybody to love you," he said. "Not only did I lose my hair (since leaving), I lost my memory. They all have the same score."
He also brushed off much of the criticism, saying it was coming from officers who had become complacent in their roles, and promised to continue to demand maximum effort from employees.
"I will be fair, I will be consistent and I will also be firm," he said. "People can say I'm brash and I'm heavy handed. I favor workers.....If you work, you have nothing to be afraid of. But you have to work."
Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. said an hour-long meeting with Ambrose following last week's announcement left him with high hopes for his tenure.
"I think Director Ambrose is a man that is going to transcend the entire government here in Newark," he said. "I don't think its just going to be police and fire. I think he has the ability to get things accomplished on a larger scale."
In the public safety director role, approved by the Municipal Council just last week, Ambrose will also oversee both the city's emergency management and fire departments, the latter of which has had to endure several criminal investigations and controversies over the last two years.
While the new director acknowledged he had never managed a fire department before, he said the principles of management and leadership there bore many similarities to a police force, and noted that he would depend on his newly named deputy director, longtime fire battalion chief Raul Malave, to help him learn the ropes.
"I've never met a person that dislikes a fireman. But I tell you what, the fireman has their work cut out," he said.
Chuck West, president of the Newark Firefighter's Association, said he was also feeling upbeat about the change.
"I'm really optimistic it can be a good thing," he said.
While Ambrose's plans are grand, his latitude to impose his own policies will at least be somewhat limited due to the presence of a federal monitor assigned to correct policing issues identified by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The new director said he was prepared to manage those dynamics, suggesting that the city hire an attorney to oversee the department's internal affairs unit and other procedures to ensure it is complying with a soon-to-be delivered consent decree outlining the reforms.
"It's every police executive's nightmare, but it also can work in favor of the police executive," he said. "We'll be expeditious about it, and then move on, stand on our own two feet."
North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr., who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, said he believed the city had found the right man to manage the challenges both on the corner and the conference room.
"I believe the mayor right now, by setting up this department of public safety, is taking a very bold step to streamline and make our police and fire department more efficient," he said. "But at the time same time, create the kind of energy that's needed to better protect the residents."
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
