DENNISVILLE – The station commander at Woodbine State Police barracks addressed Dennis Township Committee Nov. 4, reporting on current activity in the municipality.
Sgt. Francis Babinchock, who assumed his Woodbine post in September, presented a breakdown of specific events responded to by troopers from the station. That jurisdiction includes Woodbine, Upper and Dennis townships.
“In the last month, we conducted 103 investigations,” he said, “26 of these were in Dennis Township.” These were calls requiring extended involvement by troopers.
That figure includes 12 arrests, six assaults, several car stops that resulted in arrests for illegal drugs and a 12 DUI arrests. “None of these (DUI arrests) involved Dennis Township residents,” Babinchock added.
Troopers responded to 150 calls for service in October. These include nuisance complaints, responses to alarms, and medical assistance. Babinchock provided additional statistics that included 32 crash investigations, ten in Dennis Township, with the bulk of these occurring on Routes 47, 347, and 9 (all state roads).
“Overall, Dennis Township was the least active municipality in our jurisdiction,” Babinchock noted, suggesting that this fact could in part be the result of the drop in local population with the closing of seasonal campgrounds.
“Our big concern now,” he continued, “is school response protocol.”
State police have been communicating with local school officials about response plans to deal with potential intruders, an issue that has gained increasing importance since the Sandy Hook, Conn. school shootings of more than two dozen students and staff.
“We need a structured response plan,” observed Committeeman Albert DiCicco, a retired school administrator from Atlantic County Special Services Schools. “We (Dennis Township) don’t have a police force.”
Citing state police manpower shortages, Babinchock indicated that it was not likely that one of his officers would be assigned to local schools. An option he suggested was for Board of Education to hire retired police officers. “There are consulting security firms that specialize in providing this service,” he noted. “It’s something you’ll probably have to do in this day and age.”
Babinchock also addressed concerns voiced by several members of the public about increasing citizen awareness of criminal activity in their community. “We are working to establish contacts with local newspapers,” he replied, as a means of getting pertinent information out to the public. In addition, any concerned citizen can always contact the barracks directly.
Babinchock concluded by offering a tip to any homeowner leaving the area for an extended period. “Let us know,” he said. “We do property checks.”
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
