Love thy neighbor

[admin]

With the economy in a tail spin and not likely to recover, it is normal for crime to rise. I have not heard of anything specific to Freehold borough as far as any increases in problems, but I have been seeing many articles from other towns where there are burglaries happening.

This is a good time to take common sense precautions. Pay closer attention to home and vehicle security. Get to know your neighbors a bit more and work together to look out for one another. Especially pay attention to the elderly around you. Pay attention to the elderly not only for their safety, but they are often the best eyes in the neighborhood while others are at work.

It is important to be very vigilant. If you see suspicious behavior, call the police.

Don't forget, our town also has a solicitor permit that is required of anybody who goes door to door. I have read recently of burglars knocking on doors before entering a house to rob. Enforcement of the solicitor permit is a good tool to use to help prevent that.

I have to wonder, is this also a good time to look into neighborhood watch programs and other means of citizen assistance to the police? I would say it is better to be proactive than to wait and see.

[admin]

Two recent letters from local papers....

On a recent day, a house in Rumson was robbed in broad daylight. The homeowner was out, the back door left unlocked. So many of us who live in towns like these do not lock our doors. We're safe here, we think. No one will rob US. These are the safest towns, out of harm's way. Nope. And because of tough financial times, we may need to be much more vigilant and realistic.



You may not see this crime on a police blotter, but know that it happened. Precious jewelry was stolen and is unlikely to be recovered — irreplaceable treasures swiped from a jewelry box on a sunny spring day.

No town, no house, no one is crime proof. So be smart, and be informed, the best protection of all.

www.app.com/article/20090327/OPINION04/90327009/1032

Allentown residents need to be vigilant
Yesterday our house was robbed. This was done in broad daylight around 11:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The back door was kicked in. The thief was looking for money and jewelry. He didn't get much of either.

W

hat he did get was my

daughter's jewelry box full of sentimental letters written to her by her great-grandmother, a Christmas note of an IOU promise from her aunt and $20 she worked hard for.

He took her great-grandfather's silver trumpet that she had just finished practicing on that morning. It was sitting on the bed along with her music notes. He got away with a charm bracelet that was given to me on my 16th birthday, and in my memory box, which he stole, he got away with my daughter's first baby teeth.



This guy really made a score. He'll no doubt trash most of these items. But to us, he took irreplaceable things. And most upsetting of all is that he took away the confidence I had that my neighborhood was safe from scum such as he.

Now my daughter is panicked every time she sees a car parked on the road. She slept at a neighbor's house last night. Kids shouldn't have to live this way.

So please, readers, be vigilant. My neighbor saw the truck parked in our driveway, but it was all done so quickly that it seemed as though nothing was amiss. We have a good description of the vehicle. Looks as though the guy knocked on the front door and when no one answered, walked to the back. Make sure your doors are locked and secure.

This guy had no problem breaking down our door. Lock and put valuables in a safe place and don't leave cash anywhere. The thief went through every drawer in the house. He even had the gall to take my daughter's pillowcase to haul away her treasures.

On a final note, the state troopers responded very quickly to our 911 call and were very helpful and supportive to us which is very much appreciated.

examiner.gmnews.com/news/2009/0326/letters/027.html

[admin]

Mar 28, 2009 11:04:37 GMT -5 admin said:

Two recent letters from local papers....

On a recent day, a house in Rumson was robbed in broad daylight. The homeowner was out, the back door left unlocked. So many of us who live in towns like these do not lock our doors. We're safe here, we think. No one will rob US. These are the safest towns, out of harm's way. Nope. And because of tough financial times, we may need to be much more vigilant and realistic.



You may not see this crime on a police blotter, but know that it happened. Precious jewelry was stolen and is unlikely to be recovered — irreplaceable treasures swiped from a jewelry box on a sunny spring day.

No town, no house, no one is crime proof. So be smart, and be informed, the best protection of all.

www.app.com/article/20090327/OPINION04/90327009/1032

Allentown residents need to be vigilant
Yesterday our house was robbed. This was done in broad daylight around 11:15 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The back door was kicked in. The thief was looking for money and jewelry. He didn't get much of either.

W

hat he did get was my

daughter's jewelry box full of sentimental letters written to her by her great-grandmother, a Christmas note of an IOU promise from her aunt and $20 she worked hard for.

He took her great-grandfather's silver trumpet that she had just finished practicing on that morning. It was sitting on the bed along with her music notes. He got away with a charm bracelet that was given to me on my 16th birthday, and in my memory box, which he stole, he got away with my daughter's first baby teeth.



This guy really made a score. He'll no doubt trash most of these items. But to us, he took irreplaceable things. And most upsetting of all is that he took away the confidence I had that my neighborhood was safe from scum such as he.

Now my daughter is panicked every time she sees a car parked on the road. She slept at a neighbor's house last night. Kids shouldn't have to live this way.

So please, readers, be vigilant. My neighbor saw the truck parked in our driveway, but it was all done so quickly that it seemed as though nothing was amiss. We have a good description of the vehicle. Looks as though the guy knocked on the front door and when no one answered, walked to the back. Make sure your doors are locked and secure.

This guy had no problem breaking down our door. Lock and put valuables in a safe place and don't leave cash anywhere. The thief went through every drawer in the house. He even had the gall to take my daughter's pillowcase to haul away her treasures.

On a final note, the state troopers responded very quickly to our 911 call and were very helpful and supportive to us which is very much appreciated.

examiner.gmnews.com/news/2009/0326/letters/027.html

Neither of these letters is about Freehold Borough. But, there have been a number of similar stories going on all over. Millstone has had a good number of recent burglaries.

So what is my point? Our town should be proactive on this. Recently, I have engaged in discussions with other residents about neighborhood watch programs. This is an ideas whose time has come.

I did find one Crime Watch sign in town. There may be more. I looked at the PD web site to see if there was any info about a program like this. I could find nothing on line. A couple of us may be looking into this to see what we can find.

To ka19: If I recall haven't you mentioned the concept of area alerts when problems start to arise? That too is an idea that needs to be considered.

The APP reported last year that we are number three in Monmouth County crime. It is important to call on our elected leaders and fellow citizens to step up and take measures that protect us all. Working together with the above ideas is a very good start.

[ka19]

Here's the dealio...

When there was a home burglary on Reid Way last year, my neighbor was good enough to knock my door to let me know that it had happened. I immediately called the police to ask if they could share any info about the crime so I could pass it along to my neighbors. They declined to give me any info. I wish the police could find ways to use us vigilant citizens to their advantage instead of just keeping us in the dark.

There was a terrifying daytime burglary that occurred in Metuchen last year where the modus operandi was the same. The scum knocked the door, and, not getting an answer, he kicked in the door and entered. Unfortunately, there was a 14 year old boy home sick from school. He used great judgment by locking himself in the bathroom and called the police using a cordless phone. The scum kicked down the bathroom door and was face to face with the kid, but he realized that the police would be there in a mere moments so the idiot took the cordless phone and fled.

It is this type of burglary that seems to be in style. Apathetic neighborhoods or those in which people are out working all day give the perfect opportunity for human garbage to show up in an innocuous way and determine whether the home is empty. If so, they know they can get in and get out without drawing any attention.

To prevent this kind of thing from happening to you, get a dog...or get a "dog alarm" so when you aren't home and there is a knock at the door, the sound of barking dogs will dissuade the scum from entering your house. You never hear this stuff happening to a house with a dog.

When you see unfamiliar vehicles parked at your neighbor's home, quickly jot down the license plate. At least this way, if there was a crime committed, you can provide information that will help the police get this garbage off the streets quickly.

[admin]

I mentioned that there had been nothing in the papers about Freehold Borough. I spoke too soon.

FREEHOLD — Police arrested a borough man who they say broke into a Bond Street home Monday.



Aaron Errickson, 22, of Throckmorton Street, was arrested Tuesday and charged with burglary and robbery.

Around 10:15 p.m. Monday, Errickson broke into a Bond Street home through the side door, but the resident, who was in a back room, heard him, said Detective Sgt. Tim Jablonski.

He grabbed Errickson, but the 22-year-old dragged the 60-year-old homeowner toward the front door and then escaped empty-handed, police said.

After an investigation, Errickson was identified, and arrested at the police station.

Errickson is being held at the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, in lieu of bail set at $85,000.

www.app.com/article/20090401/NEWS/90401098