North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. issued a statement regarding Newark Police Chief’s order directing police officers to refer victims of crimes such as simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment to file complaints in municipal court, rather than compile an incident report themselves.

The order has since been corrected by Police Director Eugene Venable, who told nj.com that Newark Police Department is still taking incident reports of all nature. "There have not been any policy changes," Venable said. "Policy is set by the Police Director."

“I am grateful that our police director has stepped in and corrected the order, which would have limited our residents’ ability to file complaints on crime to the police,” Ramos said. “While I recognize the challenges that our police department faces, I believe we have a commitment to be responsive to our residents when serious crimes occur.”

Ramos also thanked residents who reached out to him and signed his online petition, which garnered more than 130 signatures in just two days.

"I am grateful that I was able to provide a forum for citizens to express their concerns," Ramos said. "I appreciate all our citizens who reached out to me on this issue and made their voices heard."