Irvington Ave. Will See Greater Police Presence

Irvington Avenue will see  a "full-fledged" police precinct  in the next few weeks. That's a promise Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio told residents. The precinct is located just over the South Orange border into Newark, near Fine Fare and Colosseum Gym, which many local residents frequent.

"By having an area where it will be the same cops ... they will get to know the people better and they'll know who's supposed to be in that area and who's not," he said to a round of applause during a May Ivy Hill Neighborhood Association meeting at Ivy Hill Elementary School.

Bertha Freeman, president of the Ivy Hill Neighborhood Association, said residents of the West Ward have been promised a precinct in that location for at least four years.

"It brings back the relationship of the foot-patrol officer and the ability of the community to feel as though they have someone there watching over them and being cared for," she said. "Newark has a terrible problem with crime and ... you want to feel as though when you step your foot out the door that you're going to be OK."

DeMaio said the precinct will occupy the current police department building on Irvington Avenue and no new construction will take place. The building currently houses technical support and undercover units, according to DeMaio.

He said it will cost the department roughly $10,000 to move those units to another unknown location, but "it's worth (the money)." DeMaio said that cash will come from the Police Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that helps support innovation in policing, and not from the department's budget.

Newark Police Department Capt. Steven Yablonsky, who currently is the executive officer of the fourth precinct in the Central and West wards, will oversee the new precinct, according to DeMaio.

"This station is going to be a command where officers know the needs and concerns of the people in the community," said Yablonsky, a soon-to-be 26-year veteran with the force. "We want to be able to get to know the businesses, create neighborhood watch associations and add a personal touch."

DeMaio said he does not know how many officers will be assigned to the precinct, but said it will be operational within roughly two weeks. He also said his goal is a 24-hour operation, but said the precinct initially will operate 16 hours.

Freeman, who said her college-bound son was robbed at gunpoint two blocks from her house, said having the precinct will create a more "intimate" climate that will help curb such problems.

"It's a horrible feeling as a parent to raise your child and have them move about in the city and, all of a sudden, the possibility of them being taken away from you forever is horrendous," she said. "So, to have police officers here with us and working with us ... is just a great opportunity."

Yablonsky said once the precinct is operational, it will help the department reduce crime in the ward.

"With the ... station, we will decrease crime and violence will go down," he said.

Since the beginning of the year to March 27, the fourth precinct has witnessed a number of violent crimes, including eight murders, four rapes and 90 robberies, according to citywide crime statistics. Both DeMaio and Newark Mayor Cory Booker have vowed to decrease overall crime in the city with what Booker has called an "aggressive" summer plan.

"The only thing that prevents crime is not (just) police," said Booker. "It also has to be about having an almost aggressive engagement with the community and doing things in partnership." Booker has not yet announced the plan, but DeMaio said it will include a partnership with Newark churches to help with the city's curfew ordinance.

Yablonsky said the new precinct will help carry out the department's summer initiative. "This will be a precinct where officers will get to know residents,  know the problems and take action," he said.