Editor’s note: The following remarks address a number of on-going conversations on this website regarding crime in Ocean Grove.
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By Mary Beth Jahn, Neptune Committeewoman/Police Commissioner
OK, let’s talk for a few moments.
First, when you see graffiti, please call the police and report it at 732-988-8000. You don’t have to give your name; just tell them where it is. Why? Because the police need to photograph it for their records and to see if it matches any graffiti found anywhere else in Neptune, and possibly track movements of certain individuals or groups using particular graffiti tags, which can lead to finding the perpetrators of certain thefts of movable property in the Grove. So, please, in the future, if you see graffiti on a sign or a building, call the police to report it first, and then if you want to call me at 732-272-7888 or email me at mcdlancer@aol.com, I’ll coordinate with the PD and Public Works to make sure the pictures are taken and, if it’s a public asset, have Public Works remove the graffiti. If a private home or business is tagged and you’re not sure how to remove it, you can also call or email me and we’ll see how we can get the tag off.
Second, the police do have an ongoing investigation into the stupefying number of bold and brazen bike thefts that have plagued the Grove this year. Because the investigation is ongoing, the most I can say is that an officer on routine patrol may have made a major finding relating to these bike thefts, but, once again, the investigation is still ongoing. This seemingly never-ending rash of bike thefts has bothered the PD as much as it has the citizens of Ocean Grove, and every member of the PD takes it very seriously.
Lastly, the freak October snowstorm, which seemed to (thankfully) hit everywhere in New Jersey but the coast, has pretty much put the repair of the lights on the Founders’ Park footbridge somewhere down underneath restoring power to residents of Hunterdon and other counties. So I’m going to talk to Neptune’s Office of Emergency Management to see if there’s anything they can do to help, perhaps with a portable lighting rig, from when darkness falls until the PD or Citizens Patrol locks the footbridge gates at midnight. No promises – I don’t even know if this is feasible – but I will ask.
If anyone has questions, comments, or suggestions that you would like to share with me but don’t feel comfortable doing so in a public forum, feel free to contact me personally. I know that there are many people who are frustrated over the bike thefts, the Master Plan and perhaps some other things, and I get that. (Believe me, it’s not fun being the only Township Committee member engaging in direct dialog on Blogfinger, but I respect my colleagues’ choices. And, after all, I am a communications major.) The only way we build a stronger, safer Ocean Grove is to put our frustrations aside and work together. No one person or group of people has the answer; like the best recipes, we need pinches of this and teaspoons of that.
I will check with OEM about the lights for the footbridge and get back to you ASAP.
Regards,
Mary Beth Jahn
Committeewoman/Police Commissioner
24/7 cell: 732-272-7888 (emergencies only after 10 p.m., please!)
MCDLancer@aol.com
Mary Beth, thank you for addressing so many of Ocean Grove’s concerns here on Blogfinger. Ditto to what ‘Anonymous’ says. You are the only committeperson who carries on a dialogue here. I know you have a very busy life, one that includes the hardship of commuting back and forth to NYC every day. Yet you still find time to answer people’s questions and take action on issues brought to your attention here. What I don’t understand is why the committeeperson who not only resides, but also has a business in Ocean Grove, does not also contribute here. Good lord, if you somehow find the time, certainly Mr. Bishop can. Come on, Randy, it shouldn’t all be on Mary Beth’s shoulders. And its good karma and PR to boot!
Mary Beth,
Great editorial.. full of facts and reassurance.
Thank you for speaking up. The rest of the twp. committee can continue to sit back and gather dust as usual.
Thank you Mary Beth for giving us hope that we might be able to significantly reduce the bike thefts. We appreciate your discreet sharing of police involvement. I was really beginning to worry that this form of crime was not considered important by the authorities.
More generally, thank you for all you do for the Grove — most of which I’m sure we never hear about.
Mary Beth,
Thank you for your update and all that you have done and continue to do to respond to Ocean Grove issues. Your fellow committee persons could learn a thing or two about good communication.
Frank, sometimes, for reasons pertinent to investigations, it really does require two patrol cars with one officer apiece to come out and look at a graffiti tag. I’m sorry they missed the empty can.
As for graffiti on the side of a building, Public Works only removes graffiti from public buildings and assets. If it’s a privately-owned building, like the garages whose back walls are on Lawrence Avenue, Code comes out and notifies the owner that they have to remove that graffiti. Public Works doesn’t remove graffiti from privately-owned property. And since we only have four Code and Construction employees that are out and about town in vehicles, they can’t cover every inch of town every day. If I see it on the wall of a building, I notify both the PD and Code. Many times, the PD will notify Code about graffiti on private property, but if there’s something going on and the PD gets busy, sometimes the message doesn’t make it between departments. So, I ask of you, if you are uncomfortable calling the Police Department and reporting graffiti, go ahead and call me at 732-272-7888 or email me at mcdlancer@aol.com and I’ll notify both the PD and/or Code/Public Works, whoever is appropriate.
We’re all in this together, and I have no problem with being the conduit through whom the message gets to the proper people to resolve a situation and maintain a good quality of life.
Re : Graffiti. Last week when I found Graffiti spray painted on signs on my corner I did report it to police. They came pretty quickly to “investigate” and photograph. 2 police cars. Later that afternoon I found discarded spray paint can less then 50′ away from signs. Guess police missed this or maybe it was unimportant. I think It would be quicker, more efficient, and less expensive for citizens to photograph graffiti and email fotos to police rather then dispatch 2 cars to do so. Then these police officers could be out doing more important work. How long does it take for public works to come and clean graffiti off? Days? Weeks? Some businesses who I won’t name have had graffiti on their walls for a long long time. This is not good as it invites further graffiti not only to their business but to surrounding nearby residential area. Shouldn’t code enforcement be pursuing that this graffiti be removed?