COURT HOUSE – Rio Grande was the focus of Middle Township Committee’s work session Oct. 19. Called a township “hot spot” by Deputy Mayor Daniel Lockwood, Rio Grande, an area of just under 2.5 square miles in a township of 73 square miles, has seen a disproportionate share of township safety issues. Through a number of related efforts, the township is responding with what the agenda termed “the Grande Plan.”
Police Chief Christopher Leusner discussed some of the results stemming from the designation of Rio Grande as a “DDACTS Zone” in 2012. The acronym stands for “data driven approaches to crime and traffic safety.”
The process makes use of data and mapping technologies to allow unbiased designation of crime and crash “hot spots” and provides the ability to effectively deploy resources to increase effectiveness.
Using 2012 data as a base point, Leusner said the crime rate in 2014 was below the base rate in 2012. Traffic crashes increased 3 percent in 2014 from a year previous, but Leusner pointed out that the data collected will allow police to analyze patterns and offer possible remedial actions like new stop signs, lower speed limits and similar approaches.
Along with the use of data-driven methods, Leusner explained that another important aspect of the department’s response to crime in the area is simply presence. The visible presence of police is an important deterrent to crime. Programs like “Cops on Bikes” have improved that presence.
Leusner added that the department has had discussions with the county prosecutor in an attempt to get some harsher punishment of repeat shoplifting offenders.
Saying “We cannot just arrest our way out of the problem,” Leusner used the public advocate program as an example of efforts aimed at helping offenders change their behavior.
Leusner also discussed the department’s manpower situation. He acknowledged that the department gained approval for an increase to 48 full-time officers earlier in the year, but explained that the time necessary to hire and train new officers means that the department is only now getting ready to be at full strength.
Benefits of Street Lights
Mayor Timothy Donohue discussed the potential benefits of additional street lighting in Rio Grande. “There has been no money in the budget for it for a long time,” he said. “We have dark areas that need to be addressed.”
Donohue hoped savings from increased efficiencies could allow the township to accumulate funds for lighting projects.
He also discussed the new proposed Rapid Response Code Enforcement program in areas of the township, including Rio Grande. He said it is important that abandoned and uncared-for property problems be addressed.
The township has beefed up enforcement capabilities in property maintenance ordinances and provided a quicker path to demolition of derelict properties.
Conifer – Meadow Lark Run
Saying that it has been “About a year since people began moving in” to the low-income housing Conifer project in Rio Grande, Donohue took a moment to look back at both the speculation that surrounded the opening of the complex and the realities of the past year.
Donohue said predictions that the complex would dramatically increase crime in the area and place undue burdens on the local school system have not materialized. He cited “no appreciable increase in crime.”
Donohue also noted that the increase in school enrollments produced by residents of the complex has actually helped the school system deal with declining enrollments and the need to qualify for maximum state aid.
Donohue cited the stringent background checks that are used in the housing process and the value of having a “professional and competent” private company in charge.
With the Court House part of the Conifer project almost completed, Donohue expressed hope that the history of the last year in Rio Grande bodes well for the future. “The township needed this housing and there was a mandate for it,” he said. “So far, so good,” he concluded.
Ockie Wisting Complex
Committee briefly discussed the proposed complex at Ockie Wisting, the former Fort Apache Campground on Fulling Mill Road.
Plans call for an extensive recreational facility on the site. The property is part of the NJDEP Green Acre Program. The township recently entered into an agreement with Cape Express Soccer Club that will produce state-of-the-art soccer fields at Ockie Wisting.
Donohue noted that plans for the site have been in the works for years, but that the recreational complex is coming. The township has some conceptual plans available and hopes to have a public meeting to gain input, probably in January.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
