Dear Editor:
Despite the campaign rhetoric and unsupported allegations of certain letter writers to this publication, the FBI and NJ State Police Uniform Crime Reports clearly state that crime in Jersey City have gone down over the past nine years.
Ridiculous charges that “the present administration appears to have manipulated the numbers and reporting methods” (“Voice of approval favors Cunningham Team,” letters to the editor, May 27, 2001) simply cannot be taken seriously without evidence from a credible source. Indeed, stating a source would have been the right thing to do. Nevertheless if one is interested in real crime statistics for Jersey City they can visit the New Jersey State Police website at www.njsp.org and look up the actual statistics under the public information section.
But let’s put all of that behind us as the election is over now, and we are all united in the hope that those elected can intelligently and effectively perform the duties required of their positions. What is not over, and indeed just beginning, is the dedicated monitoring of the new administration’s effectiveness at continuing this positive trend of crime reduction in Jersey City.
Now that these individuals have been elected, partly on the platform of reducing crime, they are going to be held to their promises of safer streets. We in the community will help by calling the police whenever we see suspicious activity on street corners or outside of homes, and we will report it when we see unsafe activities and other quality of life violations.
But before one single camera comes down, there must be proof that the same area formerly monitored by said camera is going to have increased police presence. Not just statements but actual proof of increased documented hours of street patrol by the existing officers in the precinct.
The buck stops at the mayor but every single ward and council representative needs to be fully aware that after election campaigns like the ones just run in Jersey City, we the citizens of this city are holding you to your promises and expect to see results.
The campaign is over. Now get to work. We will be watching.
Name withheld