Red Bank Police are reporting today that a man was abducted at gunpoint, beaten and robbed at dusk Monday, and that a 21-year-old suspect is in custody.
According to Capt. Steve McCarthy, two officers — Sgt. Eliot Ramos and Det. Joey Fields — were investigating another case near the intersection of Leighton and Locust avenues when they were approached by the 27-year-old victim, who said he had just been robbed at gunpoint.
The man, a Long Branch resident, said he’d been walking on Shrewsbury Avenue when a man he recognized pulled up alongside him in a vehicle and offered a ride.
From a press release issued by McCarthy:
The victim accepted the ride and upon entering the vehicle, the accused drew what appeared to be a handgun and pointed it at the victim.
According to police, the assailant told the victim that he had been waiting to see him because the victim had stolen from him a number of years ago.
The accused then drove the victim to Leighton Place and parked, at which point he began to strike the victim about the head and face with the handgun.
The victim then ran from the car into a small wooded area, with the accused chasing after him. After a short distance, the accused caught the victim and continued to beat him with the gun. During this assault, the accused removed money from the victim’s pockets. The accused then re-entered his vehicle and fled from the scene.
Though the victim told police he didn’t know his assailant’s name, an investigation led police to identify the suspect as Jose E. Perez, of Red Bank. Warrants for robbery, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose were issued for Perez’s arrest.
Perez was arrested yesterday by Aberdeen police at the home of an associate in that town and later turned over to Red Bank police. Subsequent investigation by Investigators Errico Vescio and David Hicks led to the recovery of a replica semi automatic handgun, according to McCarthy.
Municipal Judge William Himelman set bail at $50,000 and Perez was transferred to the Monmouth County Correctional Facility.
OK, when are we going to beef up police on the West Side? These reports are becoming more alarming & something needs to be done to quell the violence!
I agree with JW. I want a cop on every corner. Three or four more cops on duty probably would not have done anything, but if we had one on every corner this guy would have beat his victim in Tinton Falls instead.
Red Bank cops on the west side? Surely you jest! Who, after all, would be left to watch all the co-eds entering and leaving Ashes?
Can someone remind me again why it is that New Jersey is one only a handful of states that, in practice, forbids its law-abiding, properly-trained citizens from obtaining licenses to carry concealed weapons?
If we accept the notion that effective self-defense is a basic human right, why then would we tolerate laws that severely punish ordinary citizens for wanting to lawfully avail themselves of the same means of protection that is currently afforded to police officers and a handful of armed security guards?
No need to worry about the west side of Red Bank. It's not like there are any white people over there or anything like that. Everything is still okay in Red Bank. You can still pay $2,000 for a pair of shoes at Coco Pari and (Thank you, Jesus!) Tiffanys is coming to town!
All I want to know is Chief Fitzgerald better come up with a different tactic when he is conducting west side community Neigborhood watch program.
Katie
those of you that did, ignore this.
BUT YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MAKE CHANGE AND YOU DIDNT. ITS NOT SOUR GRAPES AT THIS POINT, ITS REALITY. YOUR VOTE CAME UP AND IT WAS SQUANDERED. THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE WEST SIDE, THEY WANT US GONE. THE ONLY THINGS STANDING IN THEIR WAY ARE CANGEMI AND CURLEY. WE HAD THE CHANCE TO HELP THEM AND WE DIDNT, SO WEST SIDERS, LAY BLAME UPON YOUR OWN DOORS. SOME OF YOU TOOK THE MONEY RATHER THAN THE RIGHT TO MAKE A CHANGE AND PROTECT OUR FUTURE AND THAT OF OUR CHILDREN
And district 8 and 9 citizen's should be shame of yourself. You picked the wrong person. Sharon Lee is a puppet. You chose to ignore all the warning sign. You also did not come to vote. You now can sit and watch the neighborhood go down with crime and no police to watch us. Because some people in the council don't think we should have more police on the west side.
Are you two serious. My god look at the way people voted, maybe just maybe people have a different out look that you two do. I know thats not conceivable to many on the site, but c'mon the people of Red Bank (all 26% of them) have spoken. That's why we have elections and you can not see how I or anybody votes. That's why this is America the home of the Free, that why our troops fight for others who do not have the chance to be free. And thats why we all can have opinions on what happens. I am not all that happy with the out come as well, but the people have spoken and that is just what we will have to deal with until we can vote again!!!!!!!!!!
Katie, Chief Fitzgerald is far more interested in what he is going to order for breakfast at the Broadway Diner than he is concerned about crime on the west side of Red Bank. It was Fitzgerald, after all, that made the decision not to patrol the west side adequately.
NOW YOUR GOING TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT THE CHIEF? JUST FOR YOU INFORMATION, CHIEF FITZGERLAD IS THE BEST CHIEF RED BANK HAS HAD IN A LONG TIME. INSTEAD OF RUNNING YOUR MOUTHS ON THIS SITE, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HIM ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS, OR ARE YOU TOO AFRAID TO DO THAT AND HAVE TO HIDE BEHIND A SCREEN, ALL OF YOU WHO WRITE ON THIS SITE ARE REALLY PATHETIC LITTLE PEOPLE WITH NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE BUT COLLECT YOUR WELFARE CHECKS. GET A LIFE
hey these guys got the bad guy .
whats the problem?
According to our mayor, "Crime is not a problem in Red Bank". He feels very safe walking around. Apparently there are not many crimes taking place around the municipal building where he is walking around.
I want everyone to know that we are having the Neighborhood Watch meeting 7.00 p.m. Nov 14, 2007.
A special extended meeting for you to come and let everyone know your concerns be it Eastside or Westside!
If we don't work together we will not get anything done!
And as far as the Chief goes…we had a nice talk and beleive me…he really wants to help and work with us. If you have a special request you would like to give to him..please give him a call. He will listen to you and really see what he can do. After all..he can't be everywhere ..right..think about it!
That is why we want everyone to be involved in the Neighborhood watch program. It can and will only get better with the help of everyone participating. The more eyes and ears the better it is.
Thank You
John Tyler
Thank you for the information John Tyler.
Where is the Neighborhood Watch meeting on 11/14/07?
The very last thing Red Bank needs is more cops. What we need is new, aggressive and effective leadership at the police department. The resources are there already. We just need a police department in Red Bank that isn't afraid to do the job they should be doing. We need less cops with rank sitting behind their desks or holding Neighborhood Watch meetings when they really should be out on the streets rounding up hookers and drug dealers.
Please consider the following:
Red Bank currently has 40 sworn and uniformed police officers serving a population of 12,000 in a city that is only 2 square miles large. That works out to be one cop per 300 residents, one of the highest cop to residents ratio in Monmouth County. According to The Asbury Park Press, the overall crime rate in Red Bank for 2006 was 31.7 crimes committed per 1,000 residents. (And I think it warrants mention to point out that the crime rate in Red Bank has risen considerably in the last year.)
Source(s):
http://php.app.com/njcrime/details2.php?recordID=6245
http://php.app.com/njcrime/results2.php?COUNTY=MONMOUTH+COUNTY&MUNI=Red+Bank+Boro&YEAR=%25&Search=Search
http://www.redbanknj.org/police_roster.html
By contrast, Howell Township has a population of slightly more than 50,000, is 62 square miles in size and has a police department of 94 sworn and uniformed officers. That works out to be a cop to residents ratio of 1 cop per 530 residents. Howell's overall crime rate in 2006 was 10.7 crimes committed per 1,000 residents, or one-third that of Red Bank. (And Howell's crime rate is falling while its population increases dramatically in size.)
Source(s):
http://php.app.com/njcrime/details2.php?recordID=6224
http://php.app.com/njcrime/results2.php?COUNTY=MONMOUTH+COUNTY&MUNI=Howell+Twp.&YEAR=%25&Search=Search
Mark Fitzgerald may be a good man, but he is a lousy police chief. We shouldn't be afraid to admit as much. It is time to move on.
Here is another fact to consider: Red Bank currently has 18 officers that are either detectives or who hold the rank of Sgt. or above. These superior supervise just 22 patrol officers.
Source:
http://www.redbanknj.org/police_roster.html
Why so many "chiefs" and so few Indians? Why is the RBPD so top-heavy with brass?
Great post by "Some Facts" person. Nice to see some thought and factual info in a post instead of just knee jerk spewing.
I live on the west side and think the cops are pretty responsive when I call (which is often). But I think they could be more effective if there were regular bike or foot patrols. Red Bank's density makes it the ideal community for that type of policing and I can't figure out why it's not being done.
Sorry about that. The address is
River Street Commons
49 Catherine Street.
West side Community Meeting starts at 7. The first half an hour we have the Neighborhood Watch Meeting.
Hope to see you there.
John T
Dear "Some Facts to Consider",
That is fantastic use of selective facts to advance your pre-determined opinion of our Police Chief. Somebody who is not smart enough to peel back a few layers might actually join in your call for the Mark Fitzgerald's job based on your little missive.
To be honest, I am new in Red Bank and I am not sure if Fitzgerald is good at his job or not. What I do know is that comparing Red Bank to Howell is absurd. You do not need to work for the Southern Poverty Law Center to know that economics clearly plays into crime statistics. The fact is that Red Bank has three times the poverty level of Howell. Needless to say, Fitz and his department face a different challenge than the Howell Police Department.
While crime prevention is one of the many roles of a police department, we must look at a few other things if we want stats to tell us if Mark Fitzgerald is a good police chief. What is the arrest rate? What is the arrest rate vs. other communities that have to deal with illegal immigrants who can quickly squeeze through the cracks? What is his arrest rate vs. other places that use community outreach programs like Neighborhood Watch? (These programs actually encourage people to pick up the phone and report crimes which naturally result in a spike in the crime rate)
Before the rest of you join the lynch mob that rolls down to the next council meeting, do a little homework for yourself.
Dear, Some Facts to Consider
The 12,000 resident that you stated is a fact that is wrong!!! That number does not include the 5 to 10 thousands spanish non-citizens that are in the town. Also if you have a problem with Fitz, then go to a council meeting and speak about it rather than hiding behind your computer!!!
Well then, Hold Your Fire, let's compare Freehold Boro with Red Bank, shall we? Both Monmouth County towns have populations of roughly the same size (12,000 residents), both are less than 2 square miles in size, and both cities seemingly have large populations of illegal residents. As far as I can tell from just a cursory review, the demographics in both towns (e.g., racial make-up and poverty rates) seem comparable.
Freehold Boro has 35 sworn and uniformed officers serving a population of approximately 12,000. That works out to be a cop to citizens ratio of 1 cop per 342 citizens, which means the good people of Freehold Boro are, per cop, receiving considerably less protection than are the good people of Red Bank. But yet the overall crime rate in Freehold Boro for last year was 27 crimes committed per 1,000 residents, compared to almost 32 crimes per 1,000 residents in Red Bank. Not only is the overall crime rate lower in Freehold Boro than it is in Red Bank, crime rates in Freehold have fallen considerably in the last year whereas Red Bank's crime rate has risen sharply over that same time period. By any measure, the Freehold Boro Police Department is doing a much better of protecting those they serve than are the Red Bank cops. Moreover, the FBPD is doing a better job with less cops and less resources.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bank,_New_Jersey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freehold_Borough,_New_Jersey
http://php.app.com/njcrime/results2.php?COUNTY=MONMOUTH+COUNTY&MUNI=Freehold+Boro&YEAR=%25&Search=Search
http://php.app.com/njcrime/details2.php?recordID=6220
http://php.app.com/njcrime/results2.php?COUNTY=MONMOUTH+COUNTY&MUNI=Red+Bank+Boro&YEAR=%25&Search=Search
http://php.app.com/njcrime/details2.php?recordID=6245
Some Facts to Consider,
Please reveal yourself. I think you have brought an intellegent point.
Red Banker
Some Facts to Consider,
I think you missed my primary point. While crime prevention efforts by a police department can be fruitful, they have limitations. In short, a police department can not control the make-up and all of the behavioral habits of a community. The primary purpose of a police department is not crime prevention, but law enforcement. So what I want to know if Mark Fitzgerald and his crew are doing their job and catching the bad guys or not? If they are, this is one of the greatest deterrents for future crime that they can offer.
Thanks for the kind words, Red Banker, but I am quite content to remain where I am.
Although I won't speak to your motivations in asking me to reveal myself on these boards, I strongly suspect that the reason others on this blog site want me to do just that is so that Chief Fitzgerald and/or those that work for the RBPD can take their revenge on myself and/or anyone else that was or is critical of their performance.
If you doubt that happens, just ask any Red Bank cab driver if he or she has been subjected to a whole lot more attention from the RBPD in the last two weeks. A couple of weeks ago, someone on this blog site claiming to be a Red Bank cab driver made some remarks that were critical of the RBPD. The result? The cops went to war with the cabbies over the most minor of matters. When one of the guys that owns several cabs in town went to the police station to ask what was going on, he was told specifically about this web site and the comments that were made hereupon.
That being the case, I am sure you can understand why I choose to use a pseudonym. (My car insurance is high enough already and I have no desire whatsoever to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees fighting petty cops with chips on their shoulders.) Besides, I don't think for a moment that my opinions will be any more valid because I choose to use a pseudonym instead of using my real name. If anything, the use of a pen name makes my criticism all the more valid. If I wasn't speaking the truth, if I wasn't hitting where it hurt, other bloggers would ignore me. They certainly wouldn't be asking me to out myself on a blog site — a blog site, I might add, that is owned by someone that wisely chose to register their URL address anonymously when he/she created this site in the first place.
Source(s):
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp?domain=redbankgreen.com
Thank you, Hold Your Fire, for the comments you have made. There isn't much that you've written that I disagree with. That said, I would respectfully urge you to drive through the West Side of Red Bank late at night. You won't find any problem finding someone willing to sell you drugs or their body. What you most likely won't find, however, is a Red Bank cop. The problem is bad and, as the stats show, is getting worse.
I will agree with Some Facts to consider on this point. Their are 1,000 good reasons to not reveal who you are and they can be as simple as you don't feel like getting bad looks at a cocktail party to as serious as a fear of retribution. On of our most famous founding fathers Ben Franklin was the master of using anonymous correspondence to make his point. I always get a chuckle when somebody post something to the nature of "reveal yourself you coward" and their name is listed as something like "I Vote"
Thank you, Hold Your Fire. I am reminded of "Publius" and the impact that those (then) anonymous writers had on our newborn Republic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Papers
40 cops = about 4 cops for shift. This is before vacation and sick time. At least a few of these guys must be detectives and could never do their job if they had to be out on patrol. This also includes a Chief who has way too many balls in the air and clearly can not be on patrol. So how many cops per shift does that leave who are out on Patrol? 2, maybe 3? Now let's throw in the time that these guys are responding to calls (sometimes assisting in other towns), back at the station for a dump, pulling over some crazy lady in a Land Rover who was speeding down Irvin so she would not be late for spin class, writing a report after a few teens lit an M-80 in somebody's mail box, assisting fire and paramedics, helping Old Miss Crazy fetch her crusty cat Boots from the Elm Tree, etc.
I do not know how you really expect a constant presence in any part of town. Perhaps if you all succeed in getting rid of Fitz, we should consider Houdini for Chief.
Reply to SOME FACTS TO CONSIDER:
I don't know what redbankgreen.com's registration has to do with it, but allow me to clarify something.
This site is registered in my name. My name is on this site's About page at http://www.redbankgreen.com/about.html. My wife and I (yes, this actually takes two people to produce) send out an email blast with our names on it to hundreds of redbankgreen readers each week. I show my face and eagerly hand out business cards bearing my name, email address and two phone numbers from Lincroft to Sea Bright daily. At no point have I ever attempted to conceal the ownership of this site.
Perhaps in justifying your use of anonymity, some facts you might want to consider are right under your nose.
John T. Ward
Publisher
redbankgreen.com
But yet the cops in other towns that are, I have to believe, doing precisely the same sort of things the cops in Red Bank are doing (e.g., going to the bathroom) somehow are able to do a better job with less cops. Why do you suppose that is?
Houdini for Red Bank's next chief? Not quite. That said, I sure would like to lure Chief Ronald Carter away from Howell and put him in the Red Bank Chief's chair.
http://www.howellpolice.org/Ronald_Carter/ronald_carter.html
Your domain registration, as per WhoIs, speaks for itself, Mr. Ward. That said, thank you for disabusing me. I stand corrected.
Some Facts to Consider,
Your are such a joker and I guess a Ronald Curry stroker. Your evidence that out Chief of Police is doing a poor job is weak at very best. Only somebody who lives with a bag over their head thinks that their is not a problem on the West Side, but to put the blame on the Police Chief is premature.
The issue is simple. More police = more tax money required. Whoever bumps taxes too much does not get elected. Red Bank is like every other town in America. We all want more services but we do not want to pay for them. Creative politicians and citizens find solutions. Losers like you just point fingers.
AS I SAID LAST NIGHT, YOU ARE ALL PATHETIC LITTLE PEOPLE. YOU BASHED THE COUNCIL, NOW THAT ELECTIONS ARE OVER, YOU MOVE ON TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SO WHO IS LEFT AFTER THE POLICE? YOU SHOULD BE DAMN HAPPY YOU HAVE A GREAT POLICE DEPARTMENT TO DEAL WITH THE SICKO'S LIKE YOU WHO LIVE IN THAT TOWN. AND AS FOR YOU MR. WARD, MAYBE IT'S TIME YOU START CLEANING UP THE TRASH PUT ON THIS SITE BEFORE YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COURT. AS THE SAYING GOES, TALK IS CHEAP, AND IT SEEMS THAT EVERYTHING YOU ALL HAVE TO SAY IS SO UNTRUE, YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU. IF YOUR SO UNHAPPY WITH THE TOWN OF RED BANK, MOVE. IT APPEARS THAT NOTHING IN THE WORLD WOULD MAKE ANY OF YOU HAPPY, I FEEL SO SORRY FOR ALL OF YOU. STOP HIDING BEHIND A COMPUTER AND GO SEE THE CHIEF FACE TO FACE, BUT NONE OF YOU HAVE THE GUTS BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T HOLD A CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEF BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT. GET YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU RUN YOUR MOUTHS. REMEMBER MR. WARD….IT'S TIME TO CLEAN UP THIS SITE.
Funny thing, Hold Your Fire, but you haven't presented anything even remotely close to "evidence" here.
Fitzgerald is a lousy chief and the numbers speak for themselves. Moreover, those numbers speak loudly, your apparent need to insult both me and those stats notwithstanding. Incidentally, I sure hope calling me a "joker" and "stroker" made you feel better. I have to imagine that venting on a blog site has got to be cheaper than therapy.
In closing, here's a suggestion: Perhaps you should consider faxing your résumé over to the RBPD. There might be an opening now that one of their finest is under indictment. From all appearances, you seem ideally suited for the job.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071015/NEWS/71015056
Thanks for the advise, but I will stick to my guns.Note that I called you a "Curry Stroker." Either you are like the jokers who call up WFAN with your favorite Mets trade or you have something for this Curry guy.
WATCHWHATYOUSAY,
you need to hang out with the Brady Bunch and have a groovy day. I am sure Greg Brady will invite you over.
WATCHWHATYOUSAY
You shouldn't throw out a blanket covering on here saying we all collect welfare checks, because I know that I do not, as several posters like myself also do not. But I do have to agree with you that attacking the chief is totally wrong. He is not one of the bad guys here, neither are our police department, they are awesome, the only problem here is there is not enough of them to combat the crime. Maybe if the police commissioner and the holder of multiple government positions Dupont gave up the health care we could afford one or two more
Gary Morris
Watchwhatyousay;
Please stop typing in all caps. That is shouting and rude!
Some facts to consider,
You rock! And Watchwhatyousay you can't take the truth.
THANK YOU GARY, I AGREE WITH YOU 100%. JUST SEEMS THAT THIS SITE IS USED TO BE NASTY AND AFTER 1 ATTACK IS FINISHED, THEY MOVE ONTO ANOTHER PERSON IN TOWN. THEY SHOULD WALK IN THE SHOES OF THE CHIEF AND SEE WHAT GOES ON, HE WORKS VERY HARD FOR THIS TOWN, AND HAS A GREAT DEPARTMENT. MAYBE IF THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS STAYED IN LONG BRANCH AND ASBURY PARK, CRIME WOULD BE DOWN. DO THE WRITERS ON THIS SITE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COME INTO THE TOWN DURING THE DAY, EITHER TO WORK, SHOP OR TAKE THE TRAINS. IT WOULD BE SO NICE TO READ THIS SITE AND HEAR SOME POSITIVE COMMENTS INSTEAD OF ALL NEGATIVE ABOUT RED BANK. AS FOR THE WELFARE COMMENT, SORRY ABOUT THAT….I'M SURE NOT EVERYONE ON THIS SITE COLLECTS IT. LET'S GET SOME POSITIVE COMMENTS GOING ON THIS SITE FOR A CHANGE.
anybody read the crime stats in todays hub?
Foot Patrol? LOL what will that accomplish..
Some Facts to Consider
What does the indictment have to do with anything…do you know all the facts about the case…i am sure you don't…so why even throw that in there…Perhaps you should consider faxing your resume over as Chief..since you seem to have all the answers..and perhaps the police would be able to patrol more..if they were not responding to your house for nonsense….Think about what your saying..before you post..you do not have merely any facts…Red Bank is invested with gangs..drugs…and criminals from Asbury Park and Neptune…So what Red Bank needs is more Police to battle the new problems…
Oh and lets not forget…they caught this guy right…lets give our local PD some credit here…job well done!
I have been a long time Red Bank resident. If you were here in the late 80's and early 90's the Westside of our town was an open air drug market with 100's of dealers in the streets as well as a larger criminal element. The turn around in Red Bank from "Dead Bank" has in large part been because of our fantastic police department. Through there hard work, much of the unwanted element was ether driven out or spending time in jail. If it wasn't for there dedication and hard work, Red Bank would never have been able to turn around and become the place it is today. Red Bank is a much safer place to live than it was 24 years ago when I moved here.
Then, if there were 4 cars on patrol, three would be on the Westside of Red Bank and really if anything, the east side was not patrolled as much. But as the town re-invented itself, the east-side is now the busier of the two sides with the bars, popular restaurants and downtown area as well as the many special events Red Bank hosts. So, it is now patrolled evenly.
As far as walking posts and bicycle patrols, where do you think they take this manpower from. The patrol division which is the heart of the department. It's nice to make people feel safer seeing the officer out of the car, but these units offer slower response times and are less able to handle the daily calls such as first aid. These units are also scheduled not for optimum police use but for te best times that the biggest amount of people can see them.
As far as the crime rate goes, we all should be concerned about the raising levels. But alot of that has to do with the economic situation and are not the police chief's or this department's fault. It's truly a shame that a police department that has done so much to improve Red Bank and work so hard to keep it the place that it is seem to have little to no support on this blog. How quickly we forget! It's a thankless job and the posts on this board sure do back that statement up. I for one, hope that the mayor and council do what ever it takes to give the police department the proper tools to combat this trend!
And a little story to end my posts, a Red Bank officer was teling me a story about being approached by a citizen during the 9/11 crisis and having a person come up to him and thanked him for the job he was doing. He thanked the person for their sign of gratitude of was really didn't know how to respond or feel about it as in his 15 years of experience this had rarely, if ever happened. I then asked him if things changed about the way the public treated them after 9-11 and he said for 6 to 8 months that people were very supportive and after that, people forgot and now it is the same as before and you almost never hear it. I asked him "why do you continue to do this line of work?" He said to me "I didn't take this job for a thank you or a pat on the back, I love being a police office and helping people and although the only thing we walk away with is our own self satisfaction that we did a good job……it sure is nice when you hear someone appreciate the job that you're doing".
God bless our police department who put themselves in harm's way for our safety!
That's a very good post Red Bank Watcher, and your right, the economics of Red Bank have indeed changed, more so that now our council should start enforcing the laws of habitat and ensure the safety of the residents of this wonderful borough. The onus should not fall upon the police first, it should start with the council forcing these landlords to operate within the law. stamp out the overcrowding, and then we can start. Perhaps the Mayor should take heart and example from the Mayor of Hazelton. He won in a land slide by attempting to correct this problem.
God always blesses the Red Bank Police Dept!
Gary,
Hazelton's laws were tossed out by the courts. Riverside, NJ attempted the same type of laws but had to rescind them after several law suites piled up. Most Red Bank residents do not want to see a hike in tax obligations in order to meet the expensive costs of constantly being engaged in legal battles. And I sure would not want Red Bank to become the media circus ground that Hazelton and other towns who attempted such laws became. I am sorry I don't have a better solution because I know one is needed.
Red Bank Watcher,
I have only lived in Red Bank for a little bit of time, so I am glad to read that a long time resident agrees with me that the police force does a very nice job and they simply can not be in every place all of the time. I hate to try another shallow sports analogy, but blaming the higher crime rate on the police is like blaming the QB after every loss. It is the easiest thing to do, but it is ignorant.
The RedBank police force is doing a good job with their current ranks. This does not mean that they do not have to answer to the public that they are paid to serve and protect. The police commisioner has a responsibility as commisioner as well as a council member to answer to the best of his ability any and all questions relating to the force that do not jeapordize investigations, officers, and or citizens. One simply has to go to the council meetings and ask. If the general public is still not satisfied with the response, they can speak to the council and mayor to say as much. It is then the councils responsibility to work in coordination with the department to address these concerns. If their is still difficulties the commisioner and acting chief can eventually be replaced just as the council can be. Everybody has accountability in this world.
Red Bank Watcher:
Thanks for your smart and thoughtful response to the comments (posted by myself and others) about foot and bike patrols. You make a good point and just might have changed my mind. Just goes to show you what can happen when people respond thoughtfully and intelligently on this board, rather just shouting each other down and demonizing people.
I also thought your comments about how much worse Red Bank used to be were great. It's amazing that a new item about an incident in which the RBPD CAUGHT THE BAD GUY can garner so much criticism of the police. Nuts.
Lets not forget to have foot patrol and bike patrol…you need two cops to do the patrolling…its a safety issue…