RIO GRANDE – Middle Township Committee’s Sept. 16 meeting was held at the Rio Grande Firehouse, with an agenda focused on issues important to Rio Grande residents.
Police Chief Christopher Leusner highlighted the significant improvements in public safety, with Uniform Crime Report (UCR) incidents continuing to decline in the area. The UCR program, run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), collects data on crime throughout the country.
Leusner cited statistics that show crime is down across the municipality. Much of that decline in UCR crimes came from reductions in criminal activity in Rio Grande.
Over 300 reported crimes in the Rio Grande area in 2012 reduced to 184 in 2018. For the first half of 2019, the number came in at 65, on a trajectory for another significant decline for the year.
Leusner pointed to the 2013 implementation of the Data Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS), which aided Middle Township Police Department in the most efficient use of its patrol officers.
When the data showed that 30% of the municipality’s crime and serious traffic accidents occurred within a half-mile of the intersection of Routes 9 and 47, the department was able to focus its attention on the area and ensure a visible police presence.
Leusner also credited budget support from committee, which allowed him to reestablish the Street Crimes Unit. With a focus on Rio Grande, the unit has been able to get illegal firearms off the street, seize an increasing amount of illegal drugs and make the arrests that make a difference.
In 2018, the unit made 69 arrests and executed 16 search warrants, with both numbers representing declines from 2017.
Leusner said that confidential informants have confirmed that some individuals engaged in drug activity have decided this is not the area to ply their trade.
Police presence in the Rio Grande area rose with the opening of the substation on Route 47 in 2016. Leusner reported statistics that demonstrate year-to-year increases in the use of the substation as a place to talk to an officer or engage in a safe exchange transaction.
The substation is used by other law enforcement agencies, including the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, along with county probation and parole units.
Speaking of the other agencies that use the substation, Leusner said, “I think the more law enforcement activity people see at the substation, the better.”
For Leusner, a focus on the proper balance between prevention and enforcement is critical to reducing crime. He spoke of the number of ways the department seeks to help through intervention and education.
Enforcement of the law is critical, but Leusner stressed the equal importance of helping individuals avoid turning to crime in the first place.
Leusner spoke of working with local organizations that help the homeless or work with the addicted. A program to weed out what he called the few persistent troublemakers has helped local organizations aid those who want help.
From the visibility of the police substation to the focus of the Street Crimes Unit, to the increased patrol activity, to officers on bicycles in the business district, to the establishment of a DDACTS zone centered on a critical intersection, the effort appears to be paying off.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Avalon – While suggesting that the Ukraine should surrender its territory to Russia, he remarked you can't replace the dead people. I could not help but think of the hundreds of thousands of dead people…
