For more than 20 years, Lt. Jamie Hendrix of the Rutgers Police Department has been a familiar presence on and off campus at Rutgers-Newark, sometimes in uniform and sometimes in street clothes.
On the job, Hendrix, Commander of the Community Affairs unit, is everywhere, from jazz concerts at Clement’s Place to city grade schools and shelters for the housing insecure.
Hendrix believes on-campus safety starts with fostering connections between Newark residents and the university—something she does in a myriad of ways.
In addition to protecting students, staff and faculty, she organizes the Rutgers-Newark Winter Blessings Drive for children and seniors, heads neighborhood beautification efforts, and hosts regular dialogues with the Rutgers-Newark Police Department, including Coffee with a Cop, where officers meet with the public on and off campus at bus stops, in parks, and on street corners.
“It’s important to meet people where they are. That’s where they can tell you their truth,’’ said Hendrix, a Rutgers-Newark alumna.
Hendrix ensures that both the Rutgers-Newark community and visitors feel safe, which includes spreading the word about the city’s vibrant history and cultural life and how it intersects with the university.
She’s quick to point out landmarks, like the Newark Art Museum and the Harriet Tubman monument, and share facts about RU-N’s legacy, such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall, named after the Supreme Court Justice, who was a law professor at Rutgers-Newark. There’s also Frederick Douglass Field, the site where the legendary abolitionist gave a speech at the Plane Street Colored Church, which played a role in the Underground Railroad.
“There is so much beauty here—a lot of richness and culture. But many people don’t know that or understand that this is our shared space and a safe space for everyone. We want them to come to Newark with an open mind, to know what’s happening so they can feel comfortable. We want them to know their neighbors, whether it’s businesses, a school, or a non-profit. How do we create a standard and quality of life for everyone to co-exist?”
Hendrix, who has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology and a master’s in Public Administration, has been part of the Rutgers-Newark community since 2004. She began her career with the Rutgers-Newark Police Department as a student worker and eventually became the first African American woman in the history of Rutgers Police Department to be promoted to lieutenant.
Her interest in law enforcement began with a traumatic experience in high school, when she needed protection from a stalker. Officers who handled her case offered empathy and a sense of security. “They understood what it was like to feel scared,” she said. “That experience stuck with me. I wanted to do something that had an impact on safety and community building.”
Although she originally planned to become a dancer, Hendrix switched paths during motherhood. She completed the police academy and earned her degree, all while raising a toddler. Her son is a student at the university as well.
“As a mother, I wanted to provide the service that I needed. I wanted to help people feel safe and was committed to understanding people and law enforcement and how they can work together,’’ said Hendrix, who lives in East Orange.
On campus, she works with RUPD colleagues to dispense information about domestic violence and offers pedestrian safety tips. She has supported faculty, staff, and students in shaping and developing community-engaged programming, serving in both an advisory and co-sponsorship role.
But the main focus of her job is strengthening ties between Rutgers-Newark and nearby communities. One of these efforts was the Good Neighbor Program, which brings together students, staff, and local residents for community cleanups and conversations about shared space and responsibility.
“Some of our students realized they were living next door to people who had been in the same home for 60 years,” she said. “That kind of perspective changes how we interact with the neighborhood.”
Other initiatives under her leadership include Cram the Cruiser, a donation drive to support local families, and Khakis for Kids, a school uniform drive. Hendrix has helped plan pop-up safety cafés, and community scavenger hunts. Last year, she began working with Camden Street School to support a youth empowerment event for girls and develop a similar program for boys
Over the course of her career, Hendrix has served in almost every unit in a supervisory capacity — from Administration, including Law Enforcement Liaison for University Hospital, Field Operations,and Investigations. As the leader of the Community Affairs, she has helped other departments shape their community affairs units locally and nationally.
Beyond her job at Rutgers-Newark, Hendrix serves on several state and national committees focused on law enforcement training and wellness and serves as a board member for the Gartrell-Gantt Foundation for Cultural Guardianship.
She is a resiliency officer in a statewide program and instructs officers through the Georgetown University Center for Innovations in Community Safety. She has also taught undergraduate courses at Rutgers University-Newark, including leadership courses at RU-N’s Honors Living-Learning community (HLLC) and Saint Elizabeth University.
As a mentor, she encourages students with an interest in law enforcement or the criminal justice system, including high schoolers. “We want to change perceptions and we heavily deal with recruitment, helping students find their career path,’’ she said.
Hendrix works to instill the importance of developing sensitivity toward people’s experiences and how that might affect their attitudes toward law enforcement.
“The biggest thing is when you take the time to understand where people are coming from. You also have to realize that people have their own encounters out in the world, whether it be law enforcement, the government, or as a crime victim. Help them to understand we’re here to support them as best we can,’’ she said. “The consistency of how you do that, making the time to earn trust, that’s how you build relationships.’’
