Car Thefts, Burglaries On Agenda For Wall Police Community Forum

WALL, NJ — At a Wall Township Police Department forum, the public will hear about crime incidents in the township, including recent car thefts - a problem that's been plaguing municipalities throughout the state.

And it's a chance for the public and police to discuss other safety concerns - or any issue, the police chief says.

For instance, information about e-bike safety is on the agenda.

The purpose of the meeting is to interact with residents, he said

"This will allow us to explain to them, in person, what we are dealing with in town, how we are dealing with it, and allow the public to offer their suggestions," said Police Chief Sean O'Halloran.

The event is an open forum, so residents are encouraged to provide input.

The forum will be Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. at the South Wall Fire Department, 2605 Atlantic Ave.

And the forum is an opportunity for feedback for the department, he said.

"We feel we can learn just as much from the public as they can learn from us about what is happening in our community. Maybe we do something they don't like - this would be the forum to discuss how we can better serve the residents," he said.

Lately, there have been encounters with car thieves - or potential car thieves - in the township.

For example, in September, a person dressed in black was confronted and ran away from residents in two attempted car thefts.

Also in September, six incidents of either attempted car thefts or attempted home burglaries in the south end of town were reported within one hour on one night.

Then there had been so-called "smash and grab" burglaries of cars parked in parks, while owners had a run or walk.

These types of crimes take place in almost every municipality in the state, with thieves especially targeting "high-value" cars.

Gov. Phil Murphy in July signed a series of bipartisan bills to continue the fight against auto theft, with four bills to strengthen the criminal penalties associated with auto theft - including a focus on persistent, repeat offenders and large-scale automobile trafficking networks.

More than one million cars a year are stolen in the nation, Murphy noted. You can read about these and previous bills in information provided by the Governor's Office.

Locally, some towns such as Marlboro, have strengthened local trespass laws to provide an added deterrent to would-be thieves.

Regarding e-bikes, O'Halloran said he wants to get information out, especially to parents, about safety.

"With the holiday season only a few months away and many kids asking for them as gifts, we wanted to try and get as much info out to parents as possible. The concerns would be safety, traffic laws, helmets and lighting," he said.