Montclair Takes 'Meaningful and Lasting Steps' to Control Crime

Montclair residents have raised their voices to end the violence — and the township is listening.

Township officials are implementing a number of measures, including heightening police presence and erecting a 35-foot watchtower, in reaction to five shootings that have occurred over the last three months, the township announced Monday.  

The most recent shooting on Aug. 6 wounded four people, including three residents, prompting an emergency meeting of the township council and a community meeting hosted by a council member representing the Fourth Ward, where the shootings have been concentrated. 

“In the short time since the two meetings, we’ve made considerable progress toward public safety enhancements in the Mission Street area and elsewhere in the township,” said Township Manager Marc Dashield.

“Between additional dedicated patrol officers, the five-man Street Crime Unit circulating throughout the area, and better, more open communication with the public, our Police Department is working very hard to improve the safety and welfare of the community," Dashield said.

Four patrol officers are now dedicated to the area in addition to normal patrols. They are making rounds throughout Mission Street on foot and in patrol cars, Dashield said.

In addition to the increased police presence, the township has borrowed a 35-foot portable observation tower from the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. The tower sits on an empty lot between Mission and New streets on Bloomfield Avenue. It is equipped with lighting and cameras for police to observe activity in the area.

The shootings have been concentrated mostly on Mission Street and surrounding blocks in the Fourth Ward. Police authorities have said they do not believe the violence is gang related. 

The township also hopes to increase lighting and visibility by trimming trees and has asked PSE&G to increase the wattage of streetlights from 100 to 250 watts.

“Better street lighting in and of itself isn’t a solution to crime prevention,” Dashield said. “However it does provide more visibility, allowing community residents to recognize the comings and goings in their own neighborhoods.”

Recognizing crime in town is often perpetrated by people coming from outside Montclair’s borders, township officials are considering speed humps, one-way streets and other ways of slowing down traffic and removing easy access in and out of the area.

In an effort to establish rapport with members of the community, Street Crime Unit officers are talking with residents and recently partnered with Montclair Bikery to make free repairs on children’s bicycles.

“A little good will goes a long way in community-building,” Dashield said. “Our officers go above and beyond policing the community. They’re also there to lend a helping hand when needed.”

Communication has also increased between Montclair’s Detective Bureau and other jurisdictions in order to find links between the recent shootings in town and others in the county, Dashield said.

“Public safety is our top priority,” Dashield said. “The township is and will continue to work diligently to do everything possible to ensure the well-being and safety of our community through meaningful and lasting solutions.”

On Monday night, Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson and the township council moved to have the police department increase patrols throughout the township to address a concern over an "insufficiency of police presence," according to the resolution which was passed. 

The goal is to achieve increased patrols by reworking schedules rather than increasing costs, Councilman Sean Spiller said. 

Two township men were arrested last week in connection with 14 burglaries and eight attempted burglaries in the Upper Montclair and Watchung business districts, police said.

Two of the four people wounded in the early morning hours on Mission Street on August 6 were also the targets of a drive-by incident in late July, authorities said

A sign placed on the road between Mission and New streets flashes, "Shooting on 8/6/2013." Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call 877-847-7432.