Crime & Safety
Grant Funding Adds Increased Police Presence on Easton Avenue
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has reallocated money seized from criminals who obtained it illegally and portioned it out to local police departments to use for community policing initiatives.
A $5,000 grant from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office to the New Brunswick Police Department will ramp up police presence along the Easton Avenue corridor.
According to a press release from the Prosecutor's Office, 23 police departments in Middlesex County were each awarded $5,000 for the purpose of benefiting "a variety of programs designed to combat crimes that impair residents’ quality of life."
The grants were awarded through the Prosecutor's community politicing initiative, according to the release.
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Cpt. J.T. Miller of New Brunswick Police said New Brunswick intended to use its share of the money to increase police presence on Easton Avenue, coinciding with the influx of Rutgers University students returning for the fall semester.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the $115,000 given out to the 23 departments comes from funds seized from criminal defendants who had obtained the money through illegal ways, such as by selling drugs.
It is the third year in which these grants have been allotted, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
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Last month, Easton Avenue was the site of a shooting near Stuff Yer Face, a popular Rutgers hangout.
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