New Jersey Ave bridge seen from the OG side. April, 2013. PG photo. Left click for full view.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
This 2013 piece brought 50 comments. They are below.
Every night at midnight, the NTPD locks the gates on the OG side of those two bridges. At 5:00 a.m. the gates are opened. This policy has been in effect since 1995 and was initiated by Neptune Township as a method to stop high crime rates on the bridge and on both sides of the bridge. Many of those crimes were happening in the late evening and early morning hours. The police tried foot patrols, a police substation by the bridge, covert ops and decoys, but despite some arrests, the problems continued.
The top priority for the NTPD was to do the right thing from a public safety perspective. Soon after the gates/locks idea was implemented, there was, according to NTPD Chief Robert Adams, a “dramatic impact” on crime in that location, on both sides of the bridges.
The Lock
In 1995 some individuals complained about the idea,* especially from the AP side, who viewed the locks as keeping Asbury Park citizens out. Others said that the purpose of the gates was to prevent criminals from quickly escaping the Grove, but Chief Adams says that cutting off escapes was not the main mechanism.
Instead the benefit came mostly from reducing the number of criminals hanging around in those locations, something that would help both communities. In recent years, the police have received no complaints about the bridge closures.
Chief Adams says that his department is “constantly re-evaluating” all its policies . However, at this time, he believes that vast number of Grovers support the continued implementation of the bridge closures and he continues to place “public safety” as the main focus for police work in Neptune Township and specifically in Ocean Grove.
* Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov 12, 1995 link. From Jamie of Ocean Grove: 1995 newspaper article link
Editor’s Note: If you wish to comment on this topic, please tell us which side of the lake you live on. I think your comments will have more credibility if you do, especially if you say your name, but neither is required. —Paul
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
