Newark To Hire Civilian Lawyer To Head Police Department's Internal Affairs Unit

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- There are some big changes on the way to the Newark Police Department.

Mayor Ras Baraka announced Monday that the city is looking to appoint a civilian attorney to oversee the Internal Affairs division within the police department.

He believes the move is vital to improving relations between law enforcement and the community.

"The fact that it is a civilian gives people a comfort level that they might not necessarily have if it's a police officer," Baraka said.

The mayor believes having that level of trust between the people of Newark and the police can only help drive crime down because they'll feel better coming forward with information.

"In order to come forward, in order to feel like if they report things, if things are not happening the right way, that there will be some response," Baraka said.

He is looking to fill the position immediately.