Uptick In Vehicle Crime Addressed By Chatham Borough Mayor

CHATHAM, NJ — Following an increase in vehicle crime in Chatham, newly elected Mayor Carolyn Dempsey assured the community that the borough was taking all necessary measures to combat the issue.

According to Chief of Police Brian Gibbons, the trend of home invasions is on the rise in Chatham Borough, with roughly five home burglaries and thefts occurring in surrounding neighborhoods since April 2023.

"This has left us all feeling unsettled and unsafe. The feeling of being safe in our own homes is one of our basic needs as a community and when that safety feels compromised, we must ensure that we are deploying every measure possible to address this," Dempsey said.

Patrols have increased their resources to assist in combating the rise in home burglaries.

Additional police officers are being assigned and reassigned to areas experiencing an upsurge in burglary activity. Additional technologies are also being deployed to aid local police, and special enforcement teams have been activated to supplement patrol.

In her statement, Dempsey noted that when unlocked cars with fobs inside were stolen last year, the police intervened and citizens cooperated with law enforcement by securing cars and deleting keys, which significantly reduced thefts.

"Now criminals have gone to another shocking level, and our police department, with the support of the Chatham Borough governing body, administration, and fellow residents, is taking swift action to find those responsible for these frightening acts and prevent further break-ins," Dempsey said.

The mayor stated that safety is the borough's top priority, and they are doing everything in their power to handle the recent threat, such as:

• The CBPD is increasing police presence throughout the borough with overtime, reassignments, CBPD special enforcement details, and details involving surrounding municipalities. They are also employing new technologies and working with neighboring towns, Morris County, the state, and even federal authorities on intel, investigations, and operations.
• Chief Gibbons and members of the CBPD will be at the regular council meeting on Jan. 22 to provide an overview of the situation, law enforcement response and preventative measures.
• The borough has asked the chief what additional support his department needs from the mayor and council. He has made some immediate requests and said he will be adding to those requests with more details shortly.

A public Zoom meeting with Chief Gibbons and Chief Miller of Chatham Township will also be held soon to provide further information and lay out some of the options available for crime prevention and response.

Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions at both forums, Dempsey said.

"We are in this together. Especially at a moment like this, Chatham is fortunate to have such an outstanding police department that is working around the clock and devoting considerable resources in response to these, and to prevent further incidents. They have my full confidence," Dempsey said.