(VIDEO) Recent Violent Crimes 'Uncharacteristic,' Says Police Chief

Town leaders held a televised meeting today to address public concerns in the aftermath of three violent crimes in Maplewood over the last week.

Residents in town have been on edge in light of a recent on Academy Street on March 8, the on Northview Terrace on Monday, and the on Wednesday morning.

Police Chief Robert Cimino assured residents that the incidents were "uncharacteristic" of Maplewood and that police were working to solve them and prevent further crimes.

Besides the fact that , Cimino said that police had "assigned additional units, marked and unmarked" in the areas where the other two crimes had taken place.

Cimino also provided a detailed description of the suspect in the St. Joseph's incident: a black male, late 30s, 5'10" to 6', heavy build, wearing a black jacket and black pants.

Cimino said that the police department was working with the church to improve security.

In the case of the Academy Street home invasion, a woman who said she owned an adjacent property told the chief that the crime scene was a center of drug activity.

"I had to run down here," the woman said. She had been watching the meeting on television at home. She said she has sat in her car and watched the activity, writing down license plates.

However, she said, when her husband took the information to the police he was told he had to file a formal complaint — something he was not eager to do for fear of being targeted by the drug sellers.

"What your husband was told was incorrect," said Cimino. The chief encouraged residents to report all information and said that such reports could be made anonymously but that there were "certain things [the police] are required to do" with anonymous information.

Both the chief and Mayor Vic DeLuca repeated the mantra "If you see something, say something" throughout the meeting. The chief asked that residents report all suspicious activity, and contact the police for home safety audits or to speak to community groups about safety measures. The chief also urged residents to:

• not allow strangers into their homes
• report anyone ringing their doorbell and saying they had a wrong address
• check IDs for all ultility workers, inspectors, etc.
• lock doors and windows
• use a security system
• learn the names and addresses of their children's friends, and the names and contact information of their friends' parents, and
• monitor parties

The chief noted that these suggestions were not directly related to fighting the recent crimes but that there were good basic safety measures to employ.

The chief also said that the crimes and the suggested measures were not an indication that Maplewood was unsafe but were simply good safety procedures. He said that the crime rate in Maplewood was "about the same" for 2012 as for the same time period in 2011 except for a "couple" more robberies and a "spike" in burglaries.

He noted that the police were working to hire four more officers to bring the police force up to its authorized level of 60. Cimino said that the high water mark for the size of the department had been 66 officers in 2007-08. He said that the force was down by four due to a number of retirements in late 2011. The town has also authorized the chief to use more overtime and to pursue a grant from the Federal COPS program to hire for a full-time police officer position.

Residents can contact the Maplewood Police at www.maplewoodpd.org or 973-762-3400.