Not one West New York resident came to a special public hearing on Oct. 9 to voice concerns about the Law Enforcement Block grant given to the town. The hearing was held specifically to allow the public to comment on the use of the $55,000 grant, which came from the U.S. Bureau of Justice. Another $6,000 was matched by the town of West New York. According to Police Director Joseph Pelliccio, the $62,000 will be committed to overtime hours paid specifically for the town’s Quality of Life program.
The Quality of Life program puts two extra cars on the street on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. to respond to calls concerning quality of life issues such as public drinking and noise. These patrol cars also make sure that the town’s taverns are closed at 2 a.m. One patrolman and one superior officer ride in each car.
"Each car averages about 20 to 25 calls per night," said Pelliccio. "This is to make sure that every citizen can sleep at night and walk the streets."
However, these two-man patrol cars do not wait to receive calls to respond to problem areas.
"We know the hot spots in town," said Lt. Richard Magi, adding that they also respond to the areas that get a lot of resident complaints. "We try to keep an eye on those areas."
"The idea is that these cars don’t wait for calls," said Pelliccio, explaining that the two cars patrol the areas that receive the most resident complaints. "These officers know enough to check certain areas."
Since the program began in 1998, Pelliccio said, the crime rate in the town has gone down by about 38 percent.
"This program is not only about enforcement," said Captain Michael Caliguiro. "It is also preventative."
Pelliccio said that this year the town’s crime rate should remain the same as last year.
"We have stabilized the crime rate in town," said Pelliccio. "I am happy about that, but I will be even more happy if we could get [the crime rate] down another 10 percent."
The drop in the crime rate may be attributed to the increase in police presence that the Quality of Life program provides, officials said.
"People like [the Quality of Life program]," said Magi, who has worked in the Quality of Life cars on numerous occasions. "They like the extra presence of police officers on the street. The two extra cars give us a higher visibility."
The program also allows the town to provide continuous patrol on the weekends. Since the Quality of Life cars are on the street at 10 p.m., there are at least two cars on patrol at all times, even during the scheduled shift changes.
Unfortunately, Pelliccio said that the grant money will only cover about half of the cost of the program.
"You cannot compare the amount of money we spend and what we get back from the program," said Pelliccio. "You can’t put a cost value on [the program]."
The hearing was before a seven-member board put together by West New York Mayor Albio Sires. The board consists of a representative from the West New York Alliance, the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the Police Department, the Board of Education the Municipal Court and the Prosecutor’s Office.