New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has urged state residents to film ICE agents’ behavior in their neighborhoods and upload the videos to a state portal. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out,” Sherrill said in a sit-down interview with The Daily Show host Desi Lydic last Wedn esday night. Trenton residents should video ICE agents and continue to monitor activities of Trenton Police Department officers after another questionable interaction with a distressed man on Friday. The incident occurred Thursday morning, January 29, in the 700 block of Hamilton Ave. near Revere Ave. A drive by showed one man writhing on the roadway as several officers watched. He appeared to be in distress as his body contorted near the curb. Dropped a letter off at the U.S. Post Office then headed home with an intent to check out the man-down situation. His position had changed. He lay face down on the roadway. His hands appeared to be cuffed. Three police cars were parked and approximately four or five officers had exited their vehicles. Trenton Police tend to a man on Hamilton Ave. (The Trentonian/L.A. Parker) Trenton Police tend to a man on Hamilton Ave. (The Trentonian/L.A. Parker) Trenton Police tend to a man on Hamilton Ave. (The Trentonian/L.A. Parker) Show Caption1 of 3Trenton Police tend to a man on Hamilton Ave. (The Trentonian/L.A. Parker) Expand A right turn onto Chambers St., another right turn onto Greenwood Ave., preceded an eventual right turn onto Hamilton Ave. I parked on Revere and positioned at the corner. One police officer looked distressed about being photographed and videotaped. An interesting event occurred as Farahnaz Shemeem, a member of Greater Trenton Democratic Socialists of America (GTDSA) arrived. Shemeem had been eyewitness to the April 2020 event when city police interacted with Stephen Dolceamore. According to a report, on April 3, 2020, at approximately 11:45 a.m., Trenton police officers responded to a report of a man behaving erratically and walking into traffic near St. Francis Medical Center. Officers located the subject, later identified as Mr. Dolceamore, who tried to run. Officers pursued Dolceamore on foot, who kept running from the officers inside the parking lot yelling, “help,” and claiming that people were after him. Officers deployed OC spray with no effect. Dolceamore continued to run and fell to the ground. As Dolceamore was on hands and knees and, prior to being restrained by officers, he continued to yell, “Help” and “I can’t breathe.” Officers pursued Mr. Dolceamore and brought him to the ground. Four officers restrained and handcuffed him. Video recordings from the body-worn cameras captured this encounter. During the encounter, Mr. Dolceamore became unresponsive. Police officers and emergency medical personnel attempted to provide medical assistance to Mr. Dolceamore, and he was transported to St. Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased at 12:40 p.m. A state grand jury declined to file any criminal charges against police. Shemeem, who worked at St. Francis Medical Center during the Dolceamore incident, had called the police action murder during comments made to Trenton City Council in December 2024. She pushed back against a belief that police training could alter behavior. “No amount of sensitivity training can end the systemic injustice caused by police officers who run the streets with no accountability, contributing to for-profit prisons that capitalize on modern-day slavery,” said Shemeem. With Revere Ave. just one block away from St. Francis Medical Center, Shemeem watched with critical interest. The scene produced another unexpected plot as police apparently realized my identity and one officer walked about 100 yards to discuss the situation. He explained that the man on the ground had been difficult to control. They waited for a TEMS vehicle. Mind you, police had finally brought the man to a seated position and he leaned against the leg of one officer. We requested that police remove the man from the cold street or provide him with a blanket. A TEMS employee arrived. Police moved the man onto a gurney and placed him into the TEMS vehicle. In January, 2024, videos surfaced of Trenton police officers involved in a confrontation with a homeless man. Seven police vehicles and approximately ten officers appeared near Mulberry St. One officer cursed and pushed the homeless man. Police removed the man from the premises and left him in nearby George Page Park in freezing temperatures. In November 2024, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey determined that the Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton, engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In 2025, the DOJ terminated its civil rights investigation into the Trenton Police Department. In August 2024, Trenton Police Director Steven Wilson announced a partnership with mental health screeners from Capital Health to respond to community calls and/or follow ups as part of an ARRIVE Together initiative that pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement officers while responding to incidents that involve mental health crises and drug use. The state Attorney General’s Office created the effort to produce safer outcomes, reduce arrests, and to connect persons in crisis with caregivers. Hopefully, authorities will review this latest incident then, if necessary, make improvements or recommendations to improve the Arrive Together program. For more information on the We Arrive Together program you can visit the Attorney General’s website at: https://www.njoag.gov/programs/arrive-together/ L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected]. ...read more read less