By: Najla Alexander
Atlantic County officials announced that the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO) joined the Atlantic City Police Department, local, county, and state officials, and nearly 100 congregants from local houses of worship in the second-annual Faith and Blue event on October 9.
According to officials, coordinated by the Atlantic City Police, the event brought together people of all faiths with law enforcement to advocate for community-based approaches to public safety.
To that end, officials said, ACPO has spent much of the past year working with a diverse array of religious organizations in advancing its mission “to safeguard and protect the citizens by detection, arrest, prosecution, and conviction of criminal offenders.”
Specifically, ACPO has, officials stated:
• Organized multiple public events addressing bias and discrimination with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders
• Hosted the Department of Homeland Security for a presentation on protecting places of worship for local religious groups
• Took part in the Night to Shine Prom at Egg Harbor Township’s Fresh Start Church
• Attended multiple meetings and prayer services at the Masjid Muhammad mosque in Atlantic City
• Participated in a Ramadan Iftar at the Islamic Center of Atlantic City
• Supported the congregants of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Pleasantville at a unity event following acts of vandalism
• Attended mass at St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City as part of the 200 Club’s recognition of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty
• Paid tribute to Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver at a memorial service at Second Baptist Church in Atlantic City
• Hosted an interfaith luncheon in Mays Landing with more than thirty county faith leaders and police chaplains
• Joined ACPO Chaplain Lou Strugala and NJSP in clothing giveaways
ACPO has been grateful for the warm welcomes and sense of community it has encountered through each of these collaborations and at the Faith and Blue event, officials say.
