| REPRINTED: COURTESY OF THE ASBURY PARK PRESS, A GANNETT CO. NEWSPAPER
January 24, 2008
Report: Asbury crime rate down
CITY’S POLICE CHIEF: Releases annual report REASONS: More cops, better technology cited
By NANCY SHIELDS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU More police officers and computer crime mapping are two reasons why the city saw a significant drop in crime in many categories in 2007, Police Chief Mark Kinmon said in his annual report released this week. According to the statistics the department reports to the FBI each year, the city had 1,072 serious crimes — murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson — compared to 1,313 in 2006, 1,316 in 2005 and 1,428 in 2004.
The city had 441 simple assaults, the lowest in a decade, down from 535 in 2006 and 466 in 2005.
Simple assaults must be included in figures provided for the separate New Jersey crime reports. Thus, the total crime offenses for the state unified crime reports is 1,513, down 335, or 18.1 percent, from last year. In 2005, the number was 1,782, and in 2004, it was 2,019.
“We’re not here to mislead anyone or make people believe we live in a perfect world,” Kinmon said in an interview Tuesday. “What’s important for people to know is we’re not going to tolerate what’s occurred here in the past. . . .
“The decrease in crime in 2007 just shows us that we’re heading in the right direction and tells you a little about the effect members of the police department are making,” he said.
“We’re going to continue to improve,” the chief added. “It’s easy to say crime is down in 2007, but that’s not going to help us if next year we’re back up. We’re not going to let up.”
Kinmon said the City Council approved funding last year to add eight full-time officers to the force, for a total of 90. Kinmon was able to increase the street-crimes unit to 10 officers, from four. The unit made 899 arrests in 2007, up 321.
Kinmon said police were able to improve their analysis of crime patterns through the use of data-crime mapping in its technical services unit, which show locations, time of day and developing trends. That allowed police to address troubled areas quickly, either with foot patrols or plain clothes officers, an approach similar to police COMSTAT programs used in a number of cities.
Murders decreased by two, to six. Kinmon said the figure does not include the death of a 30-year-old-man who was punched in the head last May, despite the Monmouth County Medical Examiner’s Office classifying the death as a homicide.
Thefts totalled 410, down 129, the lowest in a decade. Burglaries decreased by 49, to 235. Ten years ago there were 696 thefts and 337 burglaries.
Aggravated assaults totalled 150, down 28, though those involving guns increased by 14, to 40. Also, although robberies went down from 193 to 184, those involving a gun increased by 13, to 54.
However, authorities recovered 61 guns and arrested 46 people connected to those weapons, Kinmon said, about 15 more guns confiscated than the previous year.
Reported stolen cars were 72, down 21, and the number of arsons decreased from 11 to four.
Aggravated sexual assaults increased by four, to 11. Kinmon attributed the increase in part to spousal assaults.
Drug activity calls to police have dropped dramatically, from 1,115 in 2005 to 1,038 in 2006 to 515 in 2007, which Kinmon said indicates that drug corners are being cleared.
Drug-sale arrests totaled 80, up 49, while drug possession arrests decreased by 64, to 860. Total drug arrests were 940, compared to 955 in 2006 and 987 in 2005.
Kinmon, 40, officially took over as chief March 9, 2007. He had been acting chief under City Manager Terence Reidy since November 2005.
“I would say the improvements that have been made in public safety in the city are no accident,” Reidy said Wednesday. “There has been absolutely full court press on every single aspect under Mark’s leadership, from the Police Athletic League and gang resistance education in the schools to increases in the street-crime unit.”
Starting late in 2005 and extending into 2007, the city experienced a number of incidents in which young black people killed each other, often related to gang activity.
“The city was hit hard, as across the nation, with the violent crime increase in gang activity where there was easy access for people to get handguns and a willingness of young people to use weapons without fear or consequence,” Kinmon said.
During 2007, however, the intelligence and information the city gained on gang activity “came a long way,” Kinmon said. He said he’s grateful to Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin for his commitment of resources and long-term investigations in the city.
Lakiesha Johnson, a mother who lives on Springwood Avenue in the heart of some of the shootings in the past few years, said she does not go outside much lately because of a new baby, but said, “It is getting a little better — so far.”
Johnson cautioned that it is too soon to know whether good conditions will prevail.
Summonses issued for parking and moving violations were 10,116, up 522. Kinmon said police are addressing a lot of complaints on Main Street. He said drivers come into town with an attitude of “anything goes on Main Street” here but act differently in another town.
“That’s not acceptable to us,” he said. “We don’t want that reputation.”
After the council meeting Wednesday night, Councilman John Loffredo said: “We’re very happy with the direction the police are going in.
“We know there’s much more that needs to be done, but the statistics show that crime is down in the city of Asbury Park.”
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Coaster Photo: The Community Bank of Asbury Park plans to open in The Griffin building in the spring at the corner of Cookman and Grand Avenues.