Dear Editor: We, the Madison Street Neighborhood Watch, are asking for your help. Recently, there has been a series of car break-ins in the area of Madison Street between First and Third Streets. You may have seen the evidence left behind: the shattered windows of parked cars and pools of broken glass next to sidewalks. We thought that the number of incidents would decrease following the holidays, but they have actually increased. While the police are helping us track down these cowardly vandal(s), we are asking that you the residents of Madison Street and the rest of our neighbors, help us as a community. Call the police if you see anybody casing cars, i.e. looking in various car windows for the purpose of stealing. How do you know if somebody is looking in car windows for the purpose of stealing? Well, just ask yourself, when was the last time I went around looking inside parked cars just for the fun of it? If you hear a car alarm sound, do you just ignore it, accepting it as just one of the sounds of the city? Call the police. Along with vigilance, prevention is also an important key. Try to park in well-lit areas and most of all, take your valuables with you when you park your car, especially money, cell phones, EZ Pass tags, etc. Even question how much spare change left behind in your car for tolls would tempt a vandal. If you see questionable activity, do not confront the suspect or take matters into your own hands; please call the Hoboken police dispatch desk at 420-2100. Police officers would be the first ones to tell you, better safe than sorry. If you live on Madison Street and have not yet become a participant in a Neighborhood Watch, please join the majority of your neighbors who are trying to make our streets cleaner and safer. For further information about creating a Neighborhood Watch in your area, please call the Hoboken Community Policing Office at 420-2211. Remember neighborhoods are created and rebuilt one neighbor at a time. Madison Street Neighborhood Watch