Letter to the Editor: Councilman Addresses Issue of Recent Crimes in Lawrence Township

Lawrence residents are understandably concerned . The recent lay-off of more than 100 police officers in Trenton has obviously increased anxiety about the potential for a jump in crime in our town.

While this perception may be driven by a greater awareness of individual crimes, it’s important to note that the numbers of robberies, burglaries, and thefts reported so far this year are essentially in line with previous years. It is also worth mentioning that the trend over the past decade has been an overall decrease in reported crimes. This does not mean, however, that we should not be striving for continual improvement in how we protect public safety in Lawrence.

Late last year, acting on my proposal, the township council agreed to engage an outside consultant to evaluate the policies and procedures of our police department as well as its deployment of personnel. I proposed this study because I wanted an objective evaluation of whether the staffing, policies, and procedures in place were sufficient to meet the public safety needs of our community.

The . The study generally found that the LTPD was well run and appropriately staffed.

Among its finding, were these:

• The entire Lawrence Township Police Department is clearly committed to providing high levels of service to the community.
• Staffing is generally appropriate in all of the Department’s organizational elements, with no findings of over-staffing by the project team.
• The Department is well organized to address community issues.

The study also included several recommendations designed to improve the operation of the department. The Chief of Police is already implementing those changes that he has the authority to carry out. He also has the flexibility to deploy the department’s resources to meet whatever challenges may arise.

I have been disappointed and discouraged by some of the recent comments by some Patch readers about the work of the Lawrence Township Police Department. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but personal attacks on the department and its leadership are not productive.

I have every confidence that the members of the Lawrence Township Police Department are doing the job we expect of them with excellence and commitment. I also am fully confident that our Chief has the ability and the expertise to lead the Department in meeting its sworn duty to protect the people of Lawrence Township and their property.

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Councilman, Lawrence Township