The Jersey City Independent "

Following concerns over what some residents perceive as high crime in the city, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy held a press conference Friday morning to bridge the “disconnect” between the city and residents. The mayor also sought to get out ahead of a problem — of perception or reality — that has seen residents hold a rally against crime at last Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The rally, which was organized with little communication infrastructure outside of social media such as Facebook, saw over 100 residents fill the chambers to get the attention of city officials. Apparently, they were successful.

At the conference, Healy said said it was not the fault of the city or residents for this “disconnect,” and noted the city has begun to take additional steps to address the problem such as forming a special committee on crime that includes Council President Peter Brennan, Ward F Councilwoman Michele Massey, and Ward B Councilman David Donnelly. The mayor had also made a point of touching on his efforts at Thursday’s State of the City address, and Friday morning promised to continue his previous successful efforts to fight crime – since 2004, Healy said Jersey City crime dropped almost 33%.

It’s also one of the most direct ways the city has addressed the concern over crime, which was a required first step according to Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop.

“First the mayor has to acknowledge there is a crime problem which he refuses to do. People being mugged in broad day light in the afternoon on busy streets means there is a problem,” said Fulop.

The “disconnect” between perceptions of crime and the JCPD’s crime statistics was largely attributed to communication – too much from local newspapers and the “blogosphere” that he suggested skewed perspectives – and too little from the Jersey City Police Department, which was forced to make cuts to the public relations office, an unfortunate necessity in light of the “difficult economic times, the worst since the 1930′s,” according to Police Chief Tom Comey. The decision was made, he explained, in order to put more uniformed officers on the street.

To bridge this “disconnect” – the morning’s buzz word – Comey reiterated the commitment to police captain’s meetings which brings the community into the fold by giving face-to-face time between residents and the police. He added that despite concerns about the accuracy of crime statistics, the city’s numbers are checked by both the state police department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Previously, Fulop had said, “The reality is that as Mark Twain said, “Lies, damned lies, and statistics,” with regards to the manipulation of numbers. From community meetings I attend, I don’t think the public feels that crime is declining regardless of the statistics and police visibility has been an existing concern.” It was a sentiment echoed by numerous residents at Wednesday’s rally.

The mayor said the city is not resting on the statistics and is considering better means of re-deployment to increase police visibility. The police department will also be looking to acquire additional state and Federal grants to help defer the cost of replacing police officers expected to retire. While the number of officers retiring remains uncertain, Police Officer Benevolent Association president Jerry DeCicco has said 100 officers will be retiring. The city contends this is likely high.

Should the police department fail to acquire additional grants, the city will have to “bite the bullet to cope with the tremendous rate of retirement,” said the mayor. With the city looking to avoid raising taxes, the funding would have to come through austerity cuts or from savings from consolidation plans that could save the city money. One such proposal would combine the Jersey City Incinerator Authority and the Department of Public Works, a plan that has been in the works for more than a year.

Comey said one plan to replace retiring officers has already hit a snag, however. The city had hoped to utilize the Rice Bill to hire officers, but due to “logistic problems” progress is slow. The law allows rookie officers who were laid off for economic reasons to bypass police exam requirements they already completed. It would make things easier on out-of-work police while also helping to shorten the turnaround time on hiring new officers (between police academy and a background check, it typically takes 9 months to hire a new officer). But the city is having trouble reaching some of the officers because the “contact information provided is out of date.” The sponsors of the bills “couldn’t have foreseen the scope of rookie police lay offs” when they constructed the law, said Comey.

Replacing officers is not enough for Fulop, however, as the councilman remains convinced the city needs “to return the staffing levels to where they were at 900-plus and this should be done with zero tax increase.”

“They need to return police to the beat from behind desk jobs. Civilians should be doing the desk jobs,” he continued.

But reports of high crime, though on the rise for many residents, is not the norm everywhere according to Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano.

Sottolano, who said he has attended “just about every captains’ meeting for the last six-and-a-half years” in the south district, noted that things have been “very quiet” at the meetings he’s attended. Still, he acknowledged that perceptions of high crime is a “fact” for a resident who is “a victim of a crime.”

“It’s hard to get a warm fuzzy feeling even though statistics are down,” he said. “If we had the resources, I’d love to have another 150 police officers. But you have to do the best you can with what you have, and that’s what we’re attempting to do.”

“Hopefully as things get better we’ll be putting more men on the street,” he went on. The Council expects the budget next week and “heavy discussion” will take place trying to find more money for police.

“What’s most disturbing is the number of guns on the street,” said Sottolano. “That’s probably the most significant issue, how to get these guns off the street.”

In fact, Healy, as part of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has joined other mayors in the country’s biggest cities to promote legislation to improve gun control. Healy, working with At-Large Councilwoman Viola Richardson and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office, has also started “Operation Life Saver,” a gun buyback program, in 2005.

In the meantime, some residents remain concerned and are looking to alternate means to help keep streets afe, including organizing neighborhood watch groups and bringing in community-based organizations such as the Guardian Angels. The Guardian Angels, a group whose mission is to “provide peaceful solutions to safeguard neighborhoods, schools and cyberspace from bullying, gangs, and violence [and] to empower individuals, especially our youth, to lead safe, positive, and contributing lives,” will be speaking with Jersey City residents and officials tonight in New York City to explain how the group operates.

But police remain skeptical of such tactics. “I wouldn’t say anything negative about the Guardian Angels,” said Comey, “but I’ve seen these kinds of groups come and leave.”

A similar assessment was given regarding community groups, says John Hanussak, who organized a meeting between the JCPD and residents earlier in the month.

At the meeting, which brought some 35 residents to find out what they could do to help prevent crime, attendees were told to report incidents, know your neighbors, and be aware of what’s happening in the area – but residents should leave the actual policing and patrolling to the police.

“It’s pretty discouraged to try to patrol in the original sense of a block watch,” explained Hanussak. “The whole of what was presented was community awareness and knowing your neighbors.”

And yet Hanussak said that just being out walking his dog at night he interrupted two crimes. Both times Hanussak heard a window break while he was out, and when the would-be criminals realized someone was nearby they fled. The experience helped cement the idea that simply by being a visible and observant presence in an area a resident can be an invaluable deterrent.

According to William Braker, a former Freeholder and Jersey City Police Detective, it is not community groups who will make the difference but better community-based patrolling by police.

“When I was a foot patrolman earlier in my career on, you really got a chance to prevent crime,” he said. “You really got to know people and the problems and it all made sense.” He reiterated that Jersey City has the manpower, but the effort is needed to do a better job of interacting with people in the community, not just reacting to calls while driving around in a squad car.

“You don’t stop much that way,” he said.

Residents will likely remain concerned as neighbors and stories of crime circulate. But for Denise Mast, whose car was stolen in September and eventually recovered, it comes down to life in the city. “I have a car with the easiest locks to break in,” she said. Although she said police told her that other cars had been reported stolen on the same street as where her car was stolen, she’s come to live with the fact that crime will happen sometimes.

“Ever since then I refuse to park on Bright Street as long as I don’t have to,” she said of the street her car was stolen on. “There are always going to be things happening here or there. Still I feel safe overall. I walk through [my neighboring] park late at night and never felt threatened. The whole neighborhood feels pretty secure to me.”

At the conference the mayor also took the opportunity to announce that he has appointed Comey to serve as Acting Police Director for 90 days. Comey will replace Sam Jefferson, who retired today. The move comes as part of the city’s plan to consolidate the police and fired departments under an umbrella Public Safety, a plan very similar to one put forward by Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop. Although Comey is adding Jefferson’s responsibilities to his own, he will serve “at no extra cost to the taxpayers” said City Spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.

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