New Security App Would Connect Marlboro Residents, Police

MARLBORO, NJ — Marlboro Township now offers the Neighbors Public Safety Service that allows town officials to share hyper-local community updates with Marlboro residents and connect with them in other ways, Mayor Jonathan Hornik and Chief Peter J. Pezzullo announced.

This program is an expansion of Hornik’s "See Something. Say Something. We Will Do Something." initiative launched in 2018, a news release from the mayor's office said.

And the "Take the Pledge" initiative for residents is another piece of the security picture, Hornik added. In fact, he said successful car thefts have been reduced by 40 percent in Marlboro with residents' greater attention to home and car security measures.

“There is nothing more important to me than keeping Marlboro safe for all residents. The Neighbors app gives our police a tool to help them better engage and inform the community and is a perfect expansion of the ‘See Something. Say Something. We Will Do Something’ initiative,” Hornik said.

The Ring Doorbell Neighbors app will help police share updates and safety alerts, as well as ask residents for assistance, including information and videos, in an ongoing investigation, Hornik said.

Officials assured residents their personal privacy won't be compromised. They said in a news release that "The police do not have access to user’s Ring devices, live streams or personal information when using Neighbors." Residents can read more information on this and other aspects of the Neighbors app here. There is also a video by Hornik and Pezzullo that explains more on the township's Facebook site.

The Neighbors app is not intended for reporting crimes in progress. The police do not monitor the app 24/7, therefore residents should continue to call the police at 732-536-0100 for non-emergency situations and dial 911 for emergencies, Hornik said.

Hornik said he originally announced "See Something. Say Something. We Will Do Something" initiative in 2018 following a rash of school shootings across the country.

"Early this year I expanded this program to include home and vehicle security to address the uptick in vehicle thefts here and in many suburban communities,” Hornik said.

To join the program, residents can download the free Neighbors App available on iOS, Android or FireOS devices. Residents do not need a Ring device or any other home security system to
participate.

“Partnership with our residents has successfully prevented crime and resulted in 18 arrests. Investing in technology that allows us to quickly share information and, when necessary, to ask for help from our residents in an ongoing investigation will become a valuable tool," Pezzullo said.

“In addition to the police being able to share timely information with the community, we will be able to directly request videos from residents who do have the Ring doorbell or any other video security system. Community policing has been the cornerstone of our department and I am looking forward to adding this tool to our arsenal,” he added.

“The Neighbors app is a perfect addition to our ‘Take the Pledge’ initiative," Hornik said, in the news release.

"This past May, we asked residents to pledge to take basic steps to keep their home and vehicles safe. In return, an officer delivered a lawn sign that serves both as a reminder to your neighbors and sends a message to potential thieves to stay out of Marlboro,” he said.

“And with residents’ help, it is working. Successful vehicle thefts have decreased by 40 percent. The Neighbors App is the next step in expanding our community/police partnership.”

Pezzullo noted that all successful vehicle thefts involved the key fob being left in
the vehicle and reminds residents to lock their vehicle, take the fob and to keep valuables
out of sight.

Hornik and Pezzullo announced the initiative via video posted to the Marlboro Township-Government Facebook page and @marlborotownshipofficial TikTok. A fact sheet including download instructions is posted on the website homepage.

The "Take the Pledge" lawn signs are still available and can be requested using the links on the top of the website homepage.