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For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
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December 21, 2007   

David Wald
609-292-4791

Office of The Attorney General
- Anne Milgram, Attorney General

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East Orange Police Director Named Statewide Director of Gangs, Guns And Violent Crime
Jose Cordero Will Assume Top Law Enforcement Leadership Role in Implementing Governor’s Anti-Crime Plan

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East Orange, NJ – Governor Jon S. Corzine and Attorney General Anne Milgram today announced the appointment of East Orange Police Director Jose Cordero as New Jersey’s first statewide director of gangs, guns and violent crime.

The position is part of Governor Jon S. Corzine’s anti-crime strategy for safe streets and neighborhoods, which was unveiled in October. Cordero will head the coordinating council overseeing implementation of the law enforcement portion of the Governor’s three part strategy to combat violent crime and gangs, which also includes prevention and reentry programs.

As director, Cordero will also collaborate with law enforcement agencies throughout the state and assess the strategies put into place to investigate and prosecute gang and gun crimes.

“Mr. Cordero’s success in implementing intelligence-led policing tactics in East Orange speaks volumes of his leadership and makes him an excellent fit for this position.” Governor Corzine said. “I’m eager to work closely with him on implementing the law enforcement component of the state’s anti-crime strategy.’’

Cordero, 51, has been serving as the police director in East Orange since July 2004. In East Orange, he put in place innovative policing methods to better combat crime by emphasizing the collection and analysis of intelligence data to target criminal activity. He is scheduled to leave East Orange and begin his new assignment with the state in early January.

Under Cordero’s watch, the violent crime rate in East Orange dropped 56 percent, decreasing from 16.2 per 1,000 residents in 2004 to 10.6 per 1,000 residents in 2006, according to the state’s annual Uniform Crime Reports.

“I am proud of Police Director Jose Cordero’s extraordinary record of achievement during his tenure at the helm of the East Orange Police department,’’ East Orange Mayor Robert L. Bowser said. “His innovative approach to law enforcement has fostered a model that has produced dramatic public safety gains and has transformed public perception. Today, our City is a much safer place to live, work, play and worship.’’

“Attorney General Milgram and Governor Corzine are to be congratulated for recognizing what we already know about Director Cordero and his extraordinary capabilities,’’ the Mayor added.

“I have seen the police operations in East Orange first hand and the results are outstanding,” Attorney General Milgram said. “The adoption of data-driven, technologically-supported, intelligence-led policing can and should serve as a model for police departments throughout our state. But more important, Joe Cordero is an incredibly talented police officer and leader who understands that people need to feel safe on the streets of New Jersey.’’

Cordero was a member of the New York City Police Department for 21 years, retiring with the rank of inspector. He was the first citywide gang coordinator for the New York City Police Department, developing the department’s anti-gang strategy. He also served as the police chief in Newton, Massachusetts.

“I am pleased and honored to have been selected as New Jersey’s first Statewide Director of Gangs, Guns and Violent Crime,’’ Cordero said. “I am looking forward to the challenge and to working with New Jersey’s law enforcement community, municipalities across the state, and the people of New Jersey to implement the governor’s vision for a safer New Jersey. We will work diligently to devise and implement well-conceived and coordinated law enforcement strategies to effectively deal with the growing criminal street gang menace and to reduce violent crimes across NJ.’’

Since his appointment as police director in East Orange, Cordero merged cutting edge technologies with intelligence-led and real-time policing strategies to achieve increased productivity and reduced overall crime by 56 percent in three years. In addition, during the first eleven months of 2007, overall crime declined another 29 percent.

Cordero began his police career with the New York City Police Department in 1981, earning promotions to sergeant in 1984, lieutenant in 1989, and captain in 1992. He was named a deputy inspector in 1995 and an inspector in 1996. He served as the commanding officer in precincts in the Bronx and Manhattan. He also commanded the department’s recruitment unit and advocate’s office.

He served as the Crime Strategies Inspector for Queens South in New York City with responsibility of overseeing the design and implementation of anti-crime strategies for more than 2,000 police officers operating in eight police precincts serving nearly one million residents. During his tenure, the borough attained the largest crime reduction of any patrol borough in New York City.

After leaving the NYPD in 2002, Cordero was appointed chief of police in Newton, Massachusetts. During his term, overall crime in Newton dropped below 1,000 total yearly crimes for the first time in over 30 years, capturing a “Safest City in America” award for two straight years, according to an annual survey by the Morgan-Quitno research firm, which was recently acquired by CQ Press.

Cordero has lectured at national and international security forums, and colleges and universities on a wide-variety of public safety and management topics. He actively assists other law enforcement agencies in such areas as gang suppression, CompStat-driven management principles, and crime reduction strategies.

Cordero is a summa cum laude graduate of the New York Institute of Technology. He was honorably discharged from the US Army National Guard in 1994, retiring with the rank of Major after serving 21 years.

Cordero is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Massachusetts Chiefs of Police, and the American Society for Industrial Security.

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