Citizens Public Safety Partnership Moves Forward

A proposal to form a Citizens Public Safety Partnership comprised of a cross-section of community stakeholders was approved by the Public Safety Committee on Thursday and now goes to the Board of Trustees for a vote.

The group would meet monthly at Village Hall, prior to each scheduled Public Safety Committee meeting, and is designed to be comprised of stakeholders ranging from property owners representing the geographical diversity of South Orange to business owners. Seton Hall and Columbia High School students would also be sought out, according to Craig Goldstein, who started a Neighborhood Watch group in the Grove Park area and worked with Sheena Collum to develop the proposal.

Among the objectives for the group are researching best practices in New Jersey municipalities similar to South Orange and making recommendations on how to apply the learnings; identifying possible new grants the Village can apply for; and recruiting residents for public safety volunteer opportunities like the Rescue Squad and CERT. Another goal would be to help establish a National Night Out to educate residents about public safety issues and promote police-community partnerships.

In an example given in the proposal to explain how the group would work, the summer phenomenon of teenagers crowding South Orange's downtown on weekend nights was raised. It cited the success of Main Street South Orange's August Staycation concerts in creating a family-friendly environment and said "the CPSP will proactively work in conjunction with interested parties to establish these types of events in preparation for the following year."

Pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Goldstein is hopeful that the group will start to meet by the end of the year. Potential members will be able to apply through the normal procedure for Village committees.