Here’s How East Orange Plans To Fight Crime This Summer

EAST ORANGE, NJ — “We just want everyone to enjoy their summer and have a great time.” This was the message from East Orange Mayor Ted Green as the city launches a new crime-fighting initiative this summer.

Last week, Green and other East Orange officials announced the launch of the Safe Summer campaign, which they described as an “aggressive, all-hands-on-deck approach to keeping crime low as temperatures rise.” It began on June 21 and will run until Sept. 5.

East Orange saw drops in violent crime (23%), shooting incidents (37%) and a 4% overall crime reduction overall in 2022. But the city will continue to try to bring those numbers down this summer, officials said.

According to a statement from the city:

“The Safe Summer Initiative will consist of joint efforts between EOPD, EOFD, OEM, the Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, as well as other city departments as needed. There will be an increased police presence, community engagements, and proactive quality-of-life enforcement, some of which will include walking posts, mobile patrols, business inspections, road safety checkpoints, and crime prevention operations.”

“We have a robust summer planned and it’s all-hands-on-deck,” Green said. “If you see something, say something. We have zero tolerance for anyone disrupting our community.”

Here are some details of the Safe Summer campaign in East Orange.

TARGETING HOTSPOTS

Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd said police will be targeting “hotspot locations” to address emerging crime trends. Meanwhile, patrol officers will be cracking down on speeding, jaywalking, parking offenses and curfew violations throughout the summer.

“Cameras will be deployed around the city to capture violations on video, and summonses will be mailed to violators who break the law,” Boyd warned.

FREE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS

In response to a national uptick in the theft of Kias and Hyundais, East Orange police will be giving away steering wheel lock devices to city residents who own those vehicles. Residents must provide proof of residency and vehicle registration. The devices are available at EOPD Headquarters at 15 South Munn Avenue.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

In order to keep crime down during summer months, Police Chief Phyllis Bindi stressed the importance of forging positive relationships between police and residents.

“We listen and respond to our community to ensure our efforts and priorities align with their expectations so that we can continue to provide the kind of services that our community wants, expect and deserves,” Bindi said.

The community relations units of EOPD and EOFD will collaborate to host events and programs throughout the city such as:

• Pop-Up Block Parties
• Adopt-a-Park Events
• Basketball Games
• Fitness Classes dubbed “Cardio with Cops”
• Boys and Girls Mentoring Programs
• Police Explorers Program
• Safe Haven P.A.L. Program

The public will also receive vital information on how to protect themselves from property and domestic crimes, while the East Orange Fire Department will distribute free smoke detectors and hearing-impaired sound alarms to those who need them, officials said.

Director of Recreation & Cultural Affairs J. Jamal Pearson said there will special events happening every week July through August, including main annual events such as the weekly “Soul in the City” music series, the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, Jazz at the Plaza, the Mayor’s Annual Cookout, MACFest and Summer Jam House Music Festival.

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