Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading: Clean Streets: Controlling Crime, Maintaining Order, and Building Community Activism ("New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law")

One of the aspects of reducing the criminal element in our neighborhoods is  the need to increase community involvement and activism.  We can clean up our neighborhoods by the sheer force of numbers. The "element" does not like to hang out and conduct business under prying eyes.

This book is an excellent tutorial for anyone interested in going the next step. I will post more recommendations for books and pertinent reading material as I come across it.

Shooting

There was a shooting incident a few nights ago near the 400 block of North Third St. I believe a woman with ties to 430 N. 3rd. suffered a gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital.

This address is well known to have gang/drug dealer types hanging out on the corner literally 24/7. Not even 20 degree weather keeps them from setting up shop to harrass pedestrians, conduct narcotic sales or just add to the general blight of the area.

If the gang bangers in front of this house all day and night intimidating everyone isn't enough to raise an eyebrow, all one has to do is look at the volume of trash and broken glass littering the property to realize immediate attention is needed to curb future violence and decay to the surrounding neigbhorhoods.

Apparently, the fact that a woman suffered a gunshot wound wasn't even enough to curtail the suspected illicit activity at this house. Yesterday, the young businessmen with their baggy gangsta clothes were busily aiding anyone looking to score whatever product the individuals were marketing.

Criminal activity

My girlfriend's son-in-law was mugged at 6:30AM last Sunday morning by a thug that came from this slum house on 3rd and Mulberry Streets.

One aspect of slum apartments is the tell-tale wooden fire escape coming from the attics. This is sign of slumlords that do their best to maximize the number of people that they can rent to, regardless of the harm this does to the neighborhoods.

Watch out for this house - you might get mugged, and they are operating a 24-hour drug store.

Once again drawing attention!

If you look at the posting dated 7/21/09, you'll notice a black Acura in the video, which has links to 412 Sassafras street, and is seen frequenting known drug and gang areas in town all hours of the day and night.

I'm told earlier this evening this same black Acura was being detained by local authorities on a motor vehicle stop, and a police canine was seen going through the vehicle! Hopefully illegal narcotics were found and these people were removed from the community, even if for a short while!!

It's not hard to figure out if you have time to run the streets day and night, hang with known drug and gang dealers, and drive around looking ghetto fabulous in a car you obviously cannot legitimately afford, you're probably going to draw attention to yourself!! Smart... Real Smart...

Drug house?

I've learned there may be a home in the 100 block of North 6th street (near Sassafras) selling illegal narcotics. I randomly observed the home in question the past week or so and observed quite a bit of pedestrian/vehicle traffic coming and going, sometimes with a "lookout" that remains outside. The owner of the home does have a history of criminal charges and arrest.

Anyone that may live near or pass through this area should take note of people making brief or frequent visits to any particular house.

I am aware of the exact address, however I will hold off on posting same until further information supporting neighbors' suspicions is available.

I will be mailing out informational postcards to some of the other residents in this area to increase awareness, and hopefully provide authorities any solid leads on illicit activity that may be ongoing.

Reduce Opportunity, Reduce Crime

Most criminals are opportunists. They look for flaws in security measures, or quick access to items of value in measuring their chances of success before committing a crime.

People can reduce criminal activity in any given area by taking simple steps to minimize opportunity and temptation criminals thrive on:

Keep valuable items such as money, GPS units, purses or music cd's out of plain view and secured when your vehicle is parked. Always lock car doors, even if running a quick errand. I am still amazed how often I see empty cars with keys in the ignition at local stores!

Keep shrubbery trimmed and clear of home windows. Heavy landscape growth near windows provides concealment and time for the criminal to tamper with locks to gain entry. Do not leave tools and equipment lying around the property or in unlocked sheds and garages.

Keep outside lights on to eliminate dark areas the thief or drug dealer can use to blend into an area unnoticed. Drug dealers and thieves dress in dark clothes for a reason, they try to hide their presence from authorities and watchful residents. If a light is on them you can almost guarantee they'll be moving along.

Neighborhood Groups to meet Sept 23 at 7PM

The various neighborhood groups will have their monthly meeting at the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, 22 N. High Street tonight at 7pm.

There is a lot of good information to be shared. Please attend, speak up, and meet your city leaders.

Walking Security Salesmen

There's been some people walking door-to-door all over town selling home security systems. In South Millville recently a company called Apex Security was making the rounds. If a resident showed interest, they had a van literally sitting at the end of the street that would pull up and get to work. I was told by a friend near the Columbine Ave. area that his neighbor declined the service, and his home was burglarized literally within a few days! Probably a coincidence but makes you wonder!

This week I had a representative come to my door saying he was from Pinnacle Security, and offering all kinds of great deals if I act right away and sign a multi-year monitoring contract.

I did some searching on Pinnacle, and found quite a few consumer affairs complaints against the company.

Be aware and do your homework! Especially when they come to you. Too many shady people and criminals sizing up their next score to be inviting strangers into your home! Especially when it involves laying out your home's vulnerability and security procedures to a person you just met five minutes earlier!

My theory has always been: If you truly have a good product or service, you'd be too busy to come knocking on my door to let me know about it!

412 Sassafras

The resident of this property has once again made the local news!

Apparently this time Mr. Mclean was acting unruly and resisted arrest in some sort of incident that began a block from his house, ultimately ending at his address. Another person was arrested as well.

Mclean regularly shows a total lack of regard for the community, his neighbors or anything other than his own selfish wants. 412 Sassafras St. hosts known gang members and drug dealers, has been the recipient of numerous police calls for noise, domestic disputes, suspicious activity - the list can go on!

The constant delinquent behavior by Mr. Mclean and the crowd he hangs with is something one would expect from a rebelious teenager who lacks guidance, not a grown "man" who should know better, or have even a remote sense of right from wrong. Unfortunately, trash like this do not rehabilitate or change their ways - they just spread their own self misery and low self esteem to others.

People like Mr. Mclean thrive on annoying decent people around them. The only thing they respond to is: 1)harsh penalties they cannot afford and the knowledge that consequences will continue at every turn, or 2)getting a good beating until common sense sinks in and they stop their crap! Back in the day the belt was a powerful tool on a child to deter development into what you see at 412 Sassafras St.

Since beatings are obviously not legal or politically correct these days, city government should work hard to make examples out of brazen idiots such as Mr. Mclean, and use all legal means possible to make life miserable for him, just like he does to others. If Mr. Mclean cannot afford to live in his home due to heavy fines and financial obligations, he will either stop the nonsense or move on - a win either way for people who would like to live in peace!

Positive observations

It seems shooting incidents in town have dropped noticeably the past year or so. One reason may be the increased use of bicycle and foot patrols by Millville PD.

Getting officers out of patrol cars creates more effective interaction with the community, and the ability to move around a neighborhood less noticeably. People may be less inclined to commit a serious crime (like firing a weapon) if a police officer is potentially only a few feet away blending into the crowd.

For years, many shore towns have relied heavily on foot/bicycle patrols to successfully monitor crowds and deter crime. It's good to see Millville PD using a variety of strategies to combat those who wish to destroy the fabric of our neighborhoods.

Ordinary citizens can reduce crime in the same fashion simply by living life without fear. Walking the dog after dinner, a bike ride, or sitting on the porch enjoying the evening air lets the criminal element know someone is watching, and their chances of getting away with illegal activity are diminished.

Driving Alert

A man was driving on Cedar street near the first aid squad late at night recently, and had an object thrown through his windshield, causing serious injuries. It appears there have been past incidents in this same area.

Anyone driving Cedar street at night should pay close attention to the roadsides for items being thrown, and report any suspicious persons lingering around to police. Hopefully the idiots who have no regard for the safety of others will be caught soon and face harsh penalties.

Not good!

Prostitutes appear to be more openly making second street their official "walk" for people passing through town to see! Race fans, families, tourists passing through, decent residents etc...

The preferred track seems to be along 2nd street from Vine all the way up to Flippers Custard at G street.

Tonight around 11:30pm I witnessed one regular face in the shadows near the bus stop by Advance Auto. Another woman was working the northbound side across from the custard stand where the bus stop is in front of the bank.

Some sleezy looking guy on a motorcycle kept circling and pulling into the custard place trying to negotiate a deal with one. When the "working girl" realized they were being watched she backed off and quickly walked north on 2nd toward the hotels up past the Lilliston dealership (known hangouts for hookers and drug users).

Maybe the police can find the time to hit this area of unsightly activity with some sting operations a few more times before the weather turns colder! The activity seems noticably busier lately.

Uptown Chicago - we think we have it bad

Here is a blog regarding rampant street violence in Uptown Chicago. This is why citizens have to take action and take back our streets.

Corson Park Advisory

There's been an increase of muggings and robberies at Corson Park lately, as noted in the local news. The park is located near 14th and Main Streets. Most recently two men armed with a shotgun robbed somebody (these men were later caught), and two men armed with an unkown sharp object robbed, beat and cut a pedestrian. There have been other incidents in months past.

People using the area should excersize caution and be very alert to your surroundings, avoiding isolated or dark areas. From what I've seen the assaults have taken place after hours when the park is technically "closed" however there's nothing to say the crooks can't branch out into the surrounding streets to find a victim out for an evening stroll.

The eastern edge of Pine street borders the back of Corson Park, and flows into the rear parking lot of the high school on Wade blvd. Pine street is a heavily traveled street all night long by questionable characters, because it provides a direct link between center city and the apartments along Wade blvd. Many teens use this route to avoid detection while out after curfew, and the criminal element seems to favor this route because it's a low profile shortcut where police presence may be less common.

Due to the foot traffic around the park after hours, residents should pay attention to their surroundings and activities, so as not to present an easy target to thugs seeking a quick score.

News Article

There's an article in today's Asbury Park Press www.app.com discussing people increasingly using emails, blogs and texting nationwide to pass information on suspicious activities in their respective neighborhoods.

A great site!

Drove down Broad street awhile ago, and noticed a large police raid at a duplex in the 400 block! Great job by police combating one more known gang/drug haven! This particular duplex is well known to have gang banger types blocking sidewalks and harrassing pedestrians. I believe the other side of this duplex may have been raided in the past as well. Hopefully the city can go after the landlord if this is true, for maintaining a nuisance property and ongoing criminal activity. Thanks to law enforcement for their efforts, and any neighbors that may have reported suspicious activities at this residence to assist police in building a case!

Graffiti Must Be Removed ASAP!!

Graffiti can be a menace if it is ALLOWED to just sit. It has to be removed IMMEDIATELY or the element will see that its ok to just deface any building. Near my home at Pine and High Streets some clown put the letters YG on the window of the old Foglios building. It has been there for over 2 weeks. I have sent email to the City Commission (2 of them) and its STILL there. I know the city does not own the property but it MUST be proactive or MORE of this will deface the Arts District. Graffiti and crime seem perfect together.

Not so smart

Late one recent evening I stopped off at a local Wawa to buy some basic staples for the house. I had the honor of watching two young men purchase some flavored cigars from the store, then rush to their car and eagerly begin removing tobacco from the cigars, which aroused my curiosity since I was standing only a few feet away.

These two young men, oblivious to everything around them, proceeded to dump the tobacco on the ground outside the car's window, then refill the cigars (right outside the storefront!) with their own preferred brand of leafy product. Hmmm....

Since these two braniacs driving a Silver Mercury Grand Marquis with large chrome wheels were so open about their recreational habits, I thought Millville Pd. would get a kick out of it too. Unfortunately an officer did not arrive in time to share in the joy these two fine young men so obviously had over their new smokes.

Perhaps someone else will observe these resourceful young men in similar activities one day and notify Millville PD, so they can offer some friendly advice to the occupants how NOT to attract attention to oneself while engaging in illicit activities.

Operation Porchlight

Project Porchlight is coming to – Millville Rescue Squad
600 Cedar Street, Millville NJ 08332
Saturday, August 1, (10am – 2pm)

Project Porchlight is an award-winning energy efficiency initiative from One Change; sponsored in New Jersey by New Jersey Clean Energy Program and the BPU. Our program partners with communities throughout the U.S., relaying the message that simple actions make a big difference when it comes to saving energy and helping our environment. We are currently in the middle of a campaign in New Jersey where we are handing out over a 1,000,000 free CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs to residents.

We'd be delighted if you could give us a hand! We need volunteers to hand out free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to households in Millville on Saturday, August 1st Door-to-door delivery is fun and easy, and not a big time commitment (1-2 hours). The whole family can get involved!

We are also looking to community leaders like you, to assist us in finding volunteers to distribute light bulbs throughout their neighborhoods. The way you can help is simple. If you are planning or attending a community gathering, you can help by handing out bulbs to the group and by relaying our message that

 CFL bulbs use up to 75% less electricity than old fashioned incandescent bulbs.
 One bulb saves up to $30.00 on their yearly electric bill
 Less coal is burned, thus pollution is reduced. Talk about a win-win situation!

Once all these energy-efficient bulbs have been distributed, New Jersey residents can anticipate a combined savings of nearly $30,000,000.00 over the lifetime of the bulbs that you’ ve helped deliver.

Please contact our Volunteer Outreach Coordinator – Suzy Sherbine at susan.sherbine@porchlight.org or call (856)768-2700. She can provide you with information on how you can get involved.

Thanks for your support and remember Simple Action Matters!

Sincerely,
Charisse E. Tyus
Communications Coordinator

Graffiti observed

Any residents living in the area of Howard street just south of Main may have noticed the initials "LTG" spray painted on a few fences, garages or walls the past several months. LTG has a possible meaning of Lower Town Gangsters, which is a gang that falls under the People's Nation, commonly associated with larger gangs such as the Crips, and represented by six pointed stars in drawings, and the color blue in clothing attire.

I've also noticed "LTG" tagged on the landscape retaining wall at the intersection of Brandriff and Main. Residents living in this area should pay attention to teens moving about in the neighborhood, and how their own children may be dressing. Dominant blue colored clothing being worn, or items such as hats, bandannas or belts to the left side could be an indicator of gang activity in the neighborhood that parents or law enforcement may find helpful.

The graffiti may only be a young wannabe simply causing mischief, however often times minor things left unchecked can grow into a much larger problem for the community, due to juveniles being easily led into what they perceive to be cool behavior.

Millville Noise Ordinance

ARTICLE X
§ 52-39 Prohibitions.
A. General prohibition. It shall be unlawful for any person to make or cause to be made any unnecessary noise disturbance within the City between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. without regard to the specific decibel level established herein, if said noise materially interferes with the comfort or general well-being of any of the City's inhabitants.

k. Radios, televisions and similar devices. It shall be unlawful for any person to play or cause to be played any radio, television, tape player, or similar device, whether freestanding, handheld or in motor vehicles, which produces or reproduces sound in such a manner as to cause a noise disturbance within the City (Editor's Note: there is no time restriction on this 0. If the device is played during a party, Subsection J will control.

Illegal Retail

The residents at 424 Mulberry Street have been nabbed once already for running an illegal retail store from their house, according to our sources.

However, we still frequently see monetary transactions at the front door, despite the fact that they removed the signs advertising products and pricing.

We admit that there are worse things they could be selling other than cans of soda and snacks, the fact is this house is not zoned as a retail establishment, and we sincerely doubt they are paying sales taxes to the state.

Nuisance Corner Alert

The NE corner of 4th and Sassafras Streets is once again becoming a drug corner. This corner is an attractive hangout as their are no tenants in either the AHOME property or the house on the other corner, and there are no windows on the concrete tenement directly across.

I don't believe most of the tenants would care even if there were windows. I believe they are hiding stash in the aloe-like succulents in the front lawn.

Vehicle Alert:

Folks, there's a red chevrolet trailblazer type SUV around town. The windows are tinted all the way around, and it has custom chrome rims. NJ Reg. #WHU-___. This vehicle has been witnessed in several areas of town engaging in what appears to be drug dealing. It seems they coordinate via cell phone with buyers where to go, then they meet briefly to complete a transaction, and are on their way.

The vehicle is often seen parked in the 500 block of north second street near the nuisance rental properties. Possibly be the base of operations they work out of? Currently unknown...

The vehicle is often occupied by several male subjects, and while they may frequent other parts of the city, they've been seen regularly on all the streets between Main and Broad from 2nd up to 14th, on several occassions meeting up with other vehicles briefly to make "exchanges"

Please take note of this vehicle and notify the police department if any suspicious activity is observed. Take away their ability to blend into their surroundings, and you can take away their ability to conduct illegal business.

Suspicious Corner

The corner of 4th and Vine Streets is a haven of drug and nuisance activity. The home base is the slum property at 401 Vine Street owned by "Millionaires in Millville, LLC".

The landlord has adamantly refused to police his tenants, willingly taking city money for repairs, but refusing to make this corner safe for passers-by.

The corner is a 24-hour drug store. Illegal weapons have been seen in the possession of ex-cons. The element that hangs out on this corner blocks the sidewalk, hindering pedestrian traffic.

They have also threatened two different women that have dared to call the police or challenge the illegal activity.

Look beyond the obvious

As I move about town in my daily routine, I often see people mulling about in what would appear to be normal daily life. However, once I began taking closer note my surroundings, it was clear that illicit activity takes place frequently in plain view, with most people not even aware of what goes on beneath our nose! One such example is the car wash/laundrymat located near 7th and Main Streets. I will emphasize that the owner is a decent hard working man, and was very responsive to any information I passed along to him. He was very thankful and does not tolerate undesirable activity.

That being said, I began to notice over a period of time there was a certain transient element frequenting the car wash/laundry areas. On face value, it appeared to be a person simply using the restroom for a moment, or a driver stopping to vacuum out a vehicle. Upon closer observation I noticed often times people were never actually putting coins into the vacuum, but rather mulling about "pretending" to be busy. Within minutes another person or vehicle would show up briefly, a hand-to-hand exchange would take place and both parties would be on their way.

Inside the laundrymat, I would watch people walk in from the street, enter the restroom, then leave. A few minutes later a second person would drive up and walk in to use the restroom, making eye contact and perhaps a quick word with the last person to exit the restroom who was still loitering around. I would actually hear people hopping onto the toilet and removing the lone light fixture. Apparently it was being used as a money drop and drug pick up site!! This was confirmed one day when I overheard a buyer and dealer discuss whether "the money was in place." I began to wonder how many of these public sites exist all over town that people don't even pay attention to, but foster an element that contributes to the problems the town faces.

My point is for others to simply take an extra moment in your daily routine when moving about town to increase your awareness. You may be amazed to find how brazen (or stupid) the criminal element can be, and how easily you can gather and forward information to the appropriate people to address the problem.

Friends of Millville

If you like this website, please visit the Friends of Millville official website. Friends of Millville consists of a group of people intent on making Millville a better, safer place to live.

We have information for landlords, renters, and property owners on helping to create healthy neighborhoods.

Hello

I'm a new member to the site. I hope to bring a number of new people to the forums to network and share information about what we observe around town, so we can increase awareness and forward important items to the appropriate places.

I live east of 5th street, but travel the town frequently, and try to always be observant to positive change as well as illicit activities.

If anyone has information to share of suspicious activities, please share with everyone so we can all monitor in our respective areas!
Ray

Crime Log

Use this to post your crime watch information, and share it with our network of concerned citizens. Post information as a comment to our information sharing network so everyone can compare notes about suspicious activity, people or vehicles and locations in town.

If people share with others what they are observing and reporting, then people in other sections of town can look out for the same, and perhaps give the police a lot more information to combat the gangs and dealers.

Please, be careful about naming names unless you have solid proof that a criminal act has occurred.