Borough Asks: Help Us Keep Kids Safe

Morris Plains is seeking residents to take part in a program where kids' safety is the number one incentive.

The Helping Hand program, as its name suggests, needs as many ... well ... hands as possible in the community to help children in the event of an emergency.

Homes and businesses all over Morris Plains currently participate in the program by displaying the Helping Hand symbol in their front windows for kids to see. The symbol lets kids know that they can use the marked locations in case they run into problems while walking to or from school.

Some of the reasons a child might need assistance: harassment from bullies, a sudden illness, or an alarming stranger. Whatever the case, the more places with a hand symbol, the better chance a child is safe, program organizers say.

According to Jan McCabe, one of the co-chairs for the program in Morris Plains, there are more than 100 participants at the moment, but the program is always looking for new volunteers. 

McCabe said the program hasn't had a lot of new participants in recent years, so organizers are trying to simplify the volunteer process and promote the program more. Anyone interested just needs to submit a one-page application to the Morris Plains Police Department, get fingerprinted, and then get approved. A PDF of the application is included on this post.

Morris Plains Detective Bruce Rapp said the borough does an extensive background check once it receive an application.

"We do a fingerprint check though the state police and through the national fingerprint database," he said. "We do local checks through our police computer, DMV, and we also check if there's any criminal or traffic warrants."

Once this process is completed, Detective Rapp said that the application goes to the chief's office next, and then to the borough clerk for the final review.

McCabe has been promoting this program in the past few months in the hope that more volunteers will take part in it because many of the volunteers have either gone back to work or don't live at their house anymore.

"It's something where you constantly have to recruit new people," she said.

More recently, McCabe has listed the program's information through the borough and school Web sites, the town e-mail distribution, and through community newsletters.

Rapp said he has noticed an increase in applicants recently and believes it is because of McCabe's efforts.

"Recently it's been a large influx," he said. "I've probably done between 10 or 15 applications over the past couple of months."

Some businesses in Morris Plains that are Helping Hand locations are , , , and the .

Part of the reason the program is trying to get more volunteers is because of a few attempted abductions last year in Morristown. No child was abducted, fortunately, but McCabe said she wants to have more people aware of the program because it's an easy thing to become a volunteer and help out.

"I think it's important for any town when it comes to the safety of our kids," she said. It's just something that we can all do to help out, and it's just nice that there's a place where they can trust to go for help if needed."

More information can be found about the program by calling the MPHSA at 973-538-1650, ext. 171.