According to New Jersey State Police numbers released last month, Weehawken’s overall crime figures have dropped by 10 percent from 2002 to 2003, from 510 total crimes being reported in 2002 to 458 reported in 2003.
Burglary (breaking and entering along with theft) is down from 73 in 2002 to 69 reported last year. Larceny (which constitutes any theft at all, like shoplifting to stealing someone’s lawn furniture) is down from 324 to 265. Violent crime is down from 39 to 33. Only car theft remained the same, with 90 car thefts reported in 2002 and in 2003.
The recent numbers are drastically different than from those released in 1991, a year which Weehawken Public Safety Director Jeff Welz deemed “the high water mark.”
“We always go back and compare our numbers to that base year,” Welz said. “That’s the year that we considered our worst.”
When you use 1991 as a barometer of worst to best, Weehawken’s overall crime figures have dropped an astonishing 60 percent, from 1,104 total crimes reported in 1991 to 458 reported last year.
During that time, burglary has dropped 68 percent (218 to 69), car theft 61 percent (230 to 90), larceny 54 percent (518 to 265) and violent crime 56 percent (75 to 33).
Welz said that the violent crime numbers are especially pleasing, considering that of the 33 reported violent crimes reported, 60 percent were of the domestic variety, meaning that they occurred between people who have relationships.
“Although we consider them serious crimes and serious offenses, they happen with people who cohabitate or are boyfriend/girlfriends,” Welz said. “Sometimes, incidents like that cannot be prevented. We’ve virtually eliminated violent crime. But our numbers continue to go in the right direction in our crime reduction and prevention.”
Hard-working police
Deputy Police Chief Robert DelPriore said that the latest crime statistics are a testament to his hard-working department.
“If not for the cops out there doing their job, these numbers wouldn’t be where they are,” DelPriore said. “They’re the ones taking the initiative. They’re the ones who have to perform. I’m very proud of the members of our department, who are responsible for this. I can’t take the credit. The guys who pound the streets are the ones who deserve the credit. That’s who this is all about.”
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said that the drastic reduction in crime figures is the result of a joint effort by everyone to try to eliminate all crime.
“The goal is zero crime, but no one is ever able to reach that figure,” Turner said. “But as long as the rates keep going in the right direction, then it’s definitely something to be pleased about. We’re very pleased. The police department is doing a wonderful job and we have such low numbers for a small town with a high commuter population. We literally have thousands of people who commute to and through our town, and our neighborhoods are solid and safe.”
Added Turner, “With the variety of police patrols, foot, bicycle, juvenile, we’re always one step ahead. Even though our general street crime is way down, we can’t let our guard down.”
Welz said that Deputy Public Safety Director Robert Zucconi looks over the daily police reports with DelPriore to see if there are any trends that deserve special attention.
“It really is a team effort,” Zucconi said. “The director [Welz], the chief [DelPriore] and I go through the reports daily and spot any trends, see where they are. We chart it out and then map out a strategy. Crime doesn’t stay the same. It changes over time. There are continual adjustments to get after the bad guys.”
“We make the necessary changes to where we need the manpower,” DelPriore said.
Caught kids in the act
For example, early last Wednesday morning, the anti-crime unit was on patrol, when they noticed two suspicious teenagers roaming the streets, already in violation of the township’s new curfew ordinance.
“They noticed the kids out at 2 a.m., so they decided to watch what they were doing,” DelPriore said. “They followed them and found that they were checking to see if car doors were unlocked. Our patrol caught the kids in the act of going into the cars and taking things.”
The two teens were apprehended and charged with theft of four cars in Weehawken and two in Union City. “That’s the whole purpose of the curfew, to prevent incidents like that,” DelPriore said. “The curfew is just another tool to help the police department.”
Welz said that there is a tendency for residents to believe that crime has been eliminated when statistics like these show a dramatic drop in crime.
“While the numbers are dropping, we can’t let our guard down,” Welz said. “It doesn’t mean we don’t have crime. Leaving cars unlocked like that with valuables inside just encourages criminals to go into their cars. When this happens, people begin to feel so safe and they can’t do that. These are called crimes of opportunity and they happen. Our message is that we’re not going to stop every crime, and simple crime prevention methods, like not leaving a car unlocked, will go a long way. Without it, it defeats the purpose.”
Welz said that the Weehawken Police Department is not resting on its laurels.
“We’re always looking to change things, make things better,” Welz said. “We now have a full-time juvenile officer. We have the new police annex. We have more police officers on the force that ever before. We have more of a police presence than ever before.”
“We’re now able to concentrate on quality-of-life issues,” Turner said. “When you factor in that there will be more development on the waterfront, it’s remarkable that we’re able to keep these numbers down. It’s a constant struggle to deter crime, but it’s very important that the residents and the public remain diligent. But it is something to be pleased about.”