SOPD to Increase Downtown Presence on Weekend Nights

In response to the large crowds of teenagers who have gathered in the vicinity of Sloan Street and Village Plaza recently, the police department plans to increase its presence in the area on warm summer weekend nights.

A Maplewood Online thread was buzzing with reports that an unruly group of teens had converged on the Village on Saturday night, and Police Chief James Chelel said that officers arrived to disperse the crowd, but no arrests were made.

"They're all just coming down here to gather," said Chelel, who said the increased presence would start this weekend, and that the teenagers were mostly high school-aged and came from South Orange as well as surrounding communities.