Ongoing Theft Concerns To Be Addressed By Chatham Township Police

CHATHAM, NJ — In light of the ongoing vehicle theft problem that has plagued many Chatham residents, members of the Chatham Township Police Department will hold an informational meeting on Aug. 3o to further discuss the issue.

The meeting will be held in the Community Room at the Municipal Building on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m., according to an announcement by the police department.

At a recent council meeting, local resident Dan Flynn spoke out about the growing issue, claiming that the council and police needed to further address the situation and perhaps even pushing pressure up toward Trenton.

"This is a huge problem… It is terrifying to think, and this is coming from speaking to police officers, that some of these individuals might be gang members who have firearms on them as they're driving around our streets while our children are out there," Flynn said.

A car was stolen from a township home just this week after being accessed with a garage opener found in another unlocked car.

"Surrounding towns are experiencing similar burglaries and car thefts. These criminals are in our areas on a daily and nightly basis. Please continue to lock your vehicles and homes," police said.

The current vehicle theft issue is affecting communities all through Morris County and throughout New Jersey. Both the Florham Park Police Department and the Parsippany Police Department released statements today alerting residents of the ongoing issue.

"The suspects were observed in several other Morris County jurisdictions last night attempting to commit similar crimes. These are very dangerous, potential weapon-wielding, criminals, with no regard for our residents or our officers' safety or well-being," Florham Park Police Chief Joseph Orlando said.

"Although these incidents happened in the same section of town, they can and do happen in other areas as well. We strongly encourage our residents to lock their vehicles, utilize alarm systems with motion detection, lock exterior doors and interior garage doors, and have security lighting activated at night to help deter these criminals," Parsippany Police said.

According to Chatham Township Mayor Ashley Felice, the Chatham Township Committee has provided and will continue to provide the police department with every possible item needed to deter this crime. This includes the purchase of new police vehicles by the department this year.

Surveillance cameras and license-plate readers are also being installed around the city.

When residents arrive home, the Chatham Township Police Department advises them to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables, key fobs, and garage door openers from their vehicles and store them inside their homes.