Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience Leads Historic International Democratic Policing Initiative Honored by New Jersey Legislature
Joint legislative resolution recognizes New Jersey leadership in establishing a first-of-its-kind transatlantic democratic policing framework and advancing the Operationalizing Never Again mission
Media Contact
Mark Genatempo
mark.g@rutgers.edu
For Immediate Release: May 11, 2026
New Brunswick, N.J., May 18, 2026 —The Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience this month welcomed a joint legislative resolution from the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly honoring the “Not On Our Watch: Democratic Policing Initiative,” a historic international effort led in part through Rutgers that has positioned New Jersey at the center of a major global initiative focused on democratic policing, protection of vulnerable communities, and the fight against extremism and targeted violence.
The legislative action recognizes an initiative that was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Berlin in April 2026 between major United States policing associations and European police unions, collectively representing more than one million law enforcement officers. The agreement established a five-year framework for international cooperation focused on intelligence sharing, early threat detection, joint training in community protection and de-escalation, ethical and constitutional policing, coordinated responses to emerging extremist threats, and the reinforcement of public trust.
The resolution also recognizes New Jersey’s central leadership role in the initiative. The Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience served as a key institutional architect of the effort. Paul Goldenberg, Deputy Director of the Miller Center and former Chief of Bias Crimes and Community Relations for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, serves as Chair. Colonel Jeanne Hegenmuhle, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, serves as Vice Chair. The New Jersey State Police, Port Authority Police Department, and New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police were also recognized for their leadership and operational support.
Following the Berlin signing, the initiative moved from agreement to action through the Operationalizing Never Again mission in Poland. More than 130 senior law enforcement leaders from around the world convened for the International March of the Living at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where the mission connected the moral lessons of history to the operational responsibilities of present-day policing. At its core, the program reaffirmed a simple but urgent principle: that policing is not merely authority, but responsibility, and that “Never Again” must be translated into action, not words alone. It represented the largest law enforcement delegation ever to participate in the March of the Living. In an unprecedented recognition of the initiative’s significance, police leaders were invited to help lead the march of more than 7,000 participants and participate in the commemorative candle-lighting ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau, an honor typically reserved for heads of state and Holocaust survivors.
“The New Jersey Senate and General Assembly’s recognition of this initiative is deeply meaningful because it affirms what this mission was designed to accomplish from the very beginning,” said Paul Goldenberg, Chair of the Not On Our Watch initiative and Deputy Director of the Rutgers Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience. “This work is about more than remembrance. It is about operationalizing the lessons of history, strengthening democratic institutions, and ensuring that law enforcement leaders are prepared to confront the modern threats of antisemitism, extremism, and targeted violence with moral clarity and professional responsibility.”
The Legislature’s resolution commends the initiative, recognizes the leadership of New Jersey institutions and agencies involved in the effort, acknowledges the contributions of Goldenberg and Colonel Hegenmuhle, and reaffirms the State’s commitment to combating hate, extremism, and targeted violence. It also underscores New Jersey’s emergence as a national and international leader in helping shape the future of democratic policing.
The Operationalizing Never Again mission was advanced through the partnership of the Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience and the University of Virginia Center for Public Safety and Justice, in collaboration with major law enforcement associations and European policing partners. As the initiative moves forward, organizers say the goal remains clear: to build a durable international framework that transforms remembrance into responsibility, reinforces democratic policing principles, and equips current and future law enforcement leaders to prevent hatred, dehumanization, and institutional failure before they give rise to violence.
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About Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience
The Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience advances research, education and outreach focused on building stronger relationships between communities and public safety institutions. As part of Rutgers University’s dedication to service, innovation and justice, the center leads initiatives that promote accountability, trust and strategic resilience in policing and community safety.
About the Eagleton Institute of Politics
The Rutgers Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. The Eagleton Institute studies how American politics and government work and change, analyzes how democracy might improve and promotes political participation and civic engagement. The institute explores state and national politics through research, education and public service, linking the study of politics with its day-to-day practice.
About Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rutgers University-New Brunswick is where Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship university is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It is home to internationally acclaimed faculty and has 12 degree-granting schools and a Division I Athletics program. It is the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse university. Through its community of teachers, scholars, artists, scientists and healers, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives.