Citizens Public Safety Committee Discusses Teen Crowding

The first Citizens Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday was expected to be a small gathering, dedicated to organizing the new group, choosing a chair and establishing a meeting schedule. While the group chose Sean Chalk as chair and will meet again on Tuesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, the focus of the meeting was on the events of Saturday night, when hundreds of teens and young adults appeared in the center of South Orange and were dispersed by police. 

Trustee Michael Goldberg, chair of the Public Safety Committee and the group's liaison to the Board of Trustees, opened the meeting and served as facilitator. The nine-member committee includes Chalk, SHU students Nicole Shealey and Renee Britton, Melissa Boege, Jessica Ganjon, Joel Dranove, Stoney Johnson, Sheena Collum and the absent Margaret Van Doren. Craig Goldstein, who recently moved to Maplewood, and Collum were credited with the idea behind the committee, which is modeled on the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee. Also present were Trustee Deborah Davis Ford, Trustee Nancy Gould, Fire Chief Jeff Markey, and Village Counsel Steven Rother. 

With recent events in mind, Collum explained that the group "anticipates meeting often through the summer," while Goldstein thanked members and audience for attending the meeting and "not just blogging about it." The group moved quickly to public discussion of weekend events, with Goldberg noting that he is "well aware" of the community's "anger, frustration and confusion." He invited Police Chief James Chelel to the podium to speak and to take questions.

The audience of about 60 included local business owners, realtors and concerned citizens. Chelel explained that the South Orange Police Department is "just as concerned if not more concerned" about Saturday's events. He noted that at 8:15 on Saturday night, there were about 50 teens and young adults in the village. By 8:45, there were at least 300, many drawn downtown by text messages, Twitter feeds and Facebook communication. In order to disperse the crowd, the SOPD asked for mutual aid from Orange, East Orange, West Orange and NJ Transit forces. 

Chelel said that future weekends will see an "increased presence" of the SOPD as well as "zero tolerance." When asked, he estimated that 80 percent of the teens in "the Vill" on Saturday night were not from the community. 

Members of the audience vied with one another to ask questions and offer suggestions to the Police Chief. Chelel is meeting with county officials on Wednesday and communicating with school boards in this and other communities to discuss strategies. He also stated that residents can expect to see the Sloan Street police sub-station reopen and an increased presence of officers on foot patrol. Chelel further encouraged residents to call the police with information. "The citizens are the eyes and ears of the community," he noted. 

Questions from the audience included:

• What is making South Orange so attractive? (Much of what draws residents draws visitors.)

• What about a K9 unit? (Chelel is in favor, but noted the expense.)

• How did Maplewood solve a similar problem years ago? (Chelel noted that the setup of Maplewood Village makes the situation somewhat different; South Orange has not only a train station, but bus lines, for example.)

• Is it the number of youth or their behavior? (The audience and Chief answered, "Both.")

• What about summer weeknights? (The hope is to deter behavior early in the season.)

• A JESPY client noted concern about fellow clients, which the Chief echoed. 

• Can restaurants, New York Fried Chicken, in particular, bring their tables inside earlier? (Yes, in fact, keeping them out late is a code violation.)

• Many residents cited Facebook postings about South Orange, and asked if the SOPD is aware of such conversations. (Yes.)

• How has the Board of Trustees empowered the SOPD? (Both Goldberg and Chelel answered that "public safety is the top priority.")

• What about loitering laws and a curfew? (Loitering laws are no longer legal; curfews are difficult to enforce.)

• What happens to teens or young adults who might be stopped by the police for allegedly committing an infraction? (The answer depends on the infraction.)

• Should citizens who witness a problem take pictures? (The Chief urged citizens not to put themselves at risk. He would welcome photos, but only if it is safe to take them.)

Ideas pitched by members of the audience included:

• Leaflets in several languages to be distributed around town, when teens are dropped off in the evenings. The leaflets would warn guests that the town enforces laws. 

• Citizen patrols, with residents wearing orange shirts.

• Take back the streets patrols, with citizens driving each street of the town.

• Outreach to local schools, both in the district and in surrounding communities.

• More neighborhood watches. (Chelel cited the Tuxedo Park neighborhood watch as a "real success.")

• Car license and registration spot checks at both ends of South Orange Avenue and throughout the downtown.

• Visible police vehicles, perhaps vans, with flashing lights.

• Coordination with county and other local police forces; learn from their experiences. 

A number of residents spoke of their frustration about the growth of the teen problem and the lack of solutions, both over the winter and over the last two years. 

"It's too comfortable for kids in South Orange," said one resident to applause from the audience.

While some suggestions were offered lightly, and most in the audience praised the SOPD's efforts, a resident drew applause when she said, "What I saw on Saturday night was not funny." 

Residents, sometimes speaking over one another, offered concern about safe passage through the streets for the Fire Department, a concern shared by officials. 

As 9 p.m. approached, Goldberg moved to shift the focus of the meeting. He noted that public comment was "extremely constructive." He emphasized the dual strategy of drawing residents downtown for events such as evening concerts—and the Village has budgeted for Friday and Saturday concerts starting in April and continuing through the summer—and increased police presence and enforcement to deter problems. 

The committee will meet again in two weeks, returning to discussions of weekend evenings in the Village, as well as looking to their broader charge, to support Public Safety efforts throughout the community. Goldberg noted that a number of citizen committees are "extremely effective." He further noted that more members are welcome, and the public is encouraged to attend.