State Police: Crime is down in township
By Michael W. Curley Jr., Staff Writer
The New Jersey State Police released the 2008 Uniform Crime Report last week, and the report showed that crime dropped in Bloomfield between 2007 and 2008.
The Crime Index total for the municipality dropped from 1,429 to 1,278 over the course of the year, with violent crime dropping from 130 incidents to 106. Most of the crimes listed on the report had similar decreases, with the only exceptions being burglary, arson and bias crimes.
Police Chief Mark Leonard said the crime rate going down was a good thing, and attributed it to the increase in officers on the street, which he said helps with deterrence of crime.
“The professional work of the whole police department is a great asset,” He said, adding, that there is a great group of men and women working for the department.
Leonard added the drop is the result of “just good police work,” and the overall teamwork of the divisions within the department. He said the police department is carrying on a tradition from previous years in their work to keep crime down.
Among the programs that he credited with the reduction in crime was the Community Policing Department, which consists of Capt. James Decker, and officers Kevin O’Connell and Jose Munoz, who reach out to the community to help prevent crime.
By bringing levels of awareness to residents, through programs such as gang awareness and resistance education in the high school, he said, the public can work to prevent crime, and to prevent the situations that can lead to crime.
“We train our officers in these areas, and then bring that training to the public through the school system,” Leonard said, adding, “It’s amazing what those three officers accomplish.”
The department has also become more proactive, he said, rather than reactive, and the community policing division has helped that considerably. “They work with the community to bring them together, and solve problems,” Leonard said, adding, “It’s a great working relationship, and I’m proud of what they’ve done.” He added their ability to gather information from the community has also gone a long way toward helping to reduce crime in the town.
Speaking to the report’s numbers on burglary, arson and bias crimes, Leonard said there wasn’t any specific trends to account for the numbers, but that the numbers change each year. He added the incidents tended to be unrelated, and were dealt with on an individual basis, with no indication of a large scale trend throughout the town.
Mayor Raymond McCarthy said the numbers show that good leadership will lead to good things in the town, adding his thanks to former Chief Michael Sisco.
The New Jersey State Police released the 2008 Uniform Crime Report last week, and the report showed that crime dropped in Bloomfield between 2007 and 2008.
The Crime Index total for the municipality dropped from 1,429 to 1,278 over the course of the year, with violent crime dropping from 130 incidents to 106. Most of the crimes listed on the report had similar decreases, with the only exceptions being burglary, arson and bias crimes.
Police Chief Mark Leonard said the crime rate going down was a good thing, and attributed it to the increase in officers on the street, which he said helps with deterrence of crime.
“The professional work of the whole police department is a great asset,” He said, adding, that there is a great group of men and women working for the department.
Leonard added the drop is the result of “just good police work,” and the overall teamwork of the divisions within the department. He said the police department is carrying on a tradition from previous years in their work to keep crime down.
Among the programs that he credited with the reduction in crime was the Community Policing Department, which consists of Capt. James Decker, and officers Kevin O’Connell and Jose Munoz, who reach out to the community to help prevent crime.
By bringing levels of awareness to residents, through programs such as gang awareness and resistance education in the high school, he said, the public can work to prevent crime, and to prevent the situations that can lead to crime.
“We train our officers in these areas, and then bring that training to the public through the school system,” Leonard said, adding, “It’s amazing what those three officers accomplish.”
The department has also become more proactive, he said, rather than reactive, and the community policing division has helped that considerably. “They work with the community to bring them together, and solve problems,” Leonard said, adding, “It’s a great working relationship, and I’m proud of what they’ve done.” He added their ability to gather information from the community has also gone a long way toward helping to reduce crime in the town.
Speaking to the report’s numbers on burglary, arson and bias crimes, Leonard said there wasn’t any specific trends to account for the numbers, but that the numbers change each year. He added the incidents tended to be unrelated, and were dealt with on an individual basis, with no indication of a large scale trend throughout the town.
Mayor Raymond McCarthy said the numbers show that good leadership will lead to good things in the town, adding his thanks to former Chief Michael Sisco.
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