Man stabbed in back on Dock

An as of yet unidentified male was stabbed in the back on Dock Street around 11PM Wednesday night. He apparently had an altercation with people that he somehow can't describe - well, if you hang out in bad areas with people up to no good, they just might stab you in the back!

A 29-year-old city resident was flown to an Atlantic City trauma center after he was stabbed in his back on Dock Street late Wednesday night.

Police were dispatched to the 600 block of Dock Street on a report of stabbing at 10:56 p.m.

The victim, whom police did not identify, was unable to provide police with a statement about what happened or who had stabbed him.

Idiot robbed of $1800

Some dimwit claims he was carrying $1800 cash when he was assaulted and robbed on N. 2nd Street Tuesday evening.

A North 2nd Street man was arrested Tuesday night and charged as one of a half-dozen or so people who beat and robbed a Newfield man on the 200 block of East Oak Street earlier in the day.

The 29-year-old Newfield man, bleeding from his mouth, approached police on the 500 block of North 2nd Street at about 5:36 p.m. to report the daylight robbery.

He claimed about $1,800 was stolen from him as he was assaulted by six or seven assailants, including two he saw armed with handguns, Millville Police Det. Lt. Les Watson said today.

The so-called victim knew the nickname of one of the assailants. There appears to be more to this story than is being reported.

A word to the wise, never carry large wads of cash, and if you do have a large amount of cash, never mingle with a large group of known hoodlums.

Assault with a shovel

A Vineland woman walking on 2nd St was hit in the head with a shovel by a bicyclist.

A Vineland woman was whacked in the head with a shovel by a bicyclist at 2nd and Pine streets around midnight Sunday into Monday, police said.

The 25-year-old victim was treated at South Jersey Healthcare-Regional Medical Center, in Vineland, where a cut to her head was closed with glue, according to Ptl. Vern Babka's report.

Vineland police reported the assault to city police at about 4:20 a.m. Monday.

First of all, and crime is crime regardless of the victim, what was this woman doing walking 2nd and Pine, a known are for drugs and prostitution, doing walking alone at midnight? She was a few miles from home.

Second, did anybody see the male on the bike with a shovel, and if so, did they think it strange?

If this woman was visiting a friend, and merely walking from her vehicle to her friend's house, then this is a disturbing crime against an innocent victim. The moral? Always be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. If you see a strange person approaching you, put distance and obstacles between you and them, and call 911 on your cell phone - it IS in your hand - if the person continues to try to approach you even after you make evasive moves. And most of all, don't be wandering in a known drug area after dark.

Thank you judge Benjamin Telsey for making Millville more dangerous

In a slap in the face to law abiding citizens, judge Benjamin Telsey reduced the bail of gang-banger Andrew Ridgeway. If you remember, Ridgeway spat at police officers, assaulted police and rescue workers by getting his blood on them, resisted arrest, and was in possession of an illegal, stolen handgun.

This guy needs to be locked up for the safety of innocent bystanders that could possibly get hurt as a result of his inability to abide by the law. My heart goes out to the hard-working police officers put their lives, health and safety on the line to arrest scumbags like this, only to have a judge nullify their hard work.

Telsey acknowledged that record was a serious issue. He also cited a charge in 2009 of aggravated assault on a teacher and probation violations.

So, as a reward for violating probation, and having a long history of violence towards others, Telsey REWARDS this piece of human excrement by making it possible for him to be on the street next week, selling drugs. And we wonder why we are having new shootings and acts of violence on the streets on an almost daily basis?

Neighborhood Alert

Residents living near Howard Street be advised:

As written in the Millville news this week: On June 10th a Mr. Leroy Ford of Laurel Lake was located hiding in a basement on Howard Street and arrested. The arrest ended an investigation that began with Mr. Ford driving a White Mercedes with ficticious license plates, getting in a high speed police chase in Alloway Twsp, and initially eluding capture.

Mr. Ford also has prior convictions for burglary (armed or causing injury), and for tampering with evidence, and has served State Prison time. An all around upstanding individual...

Here's what the paper didn't print: Both 408 and 417 Howard Street are rental properties housing trashy people. Rumor is these people are dealing in all kind of illicit activities, as well as causing general chaos in the neighborhood - disputes in the middle of the street, noise all hours of the day/night, criminal mischief, stealing, burglarizing, retaliation against neighbors who speak out, narcotics dealing, stolen vehicles - the list of "alleged" activities is long. Not stating anything as fact, however people are talking, and all the signs are there. I'm told there are already numerous police calls related to activity generating from these two homes.

Other people with ties to those living in the homes are currently in prison on similar charges, and many who frequent the homes are known drug addicts, dealers and thieves. Rumor is much of the stolen items from that end of town all the way out Cedar Street and toward Laurel Lake probably pass through these two houses.

Anyhow, on June 10th, when State Police arrived to arrest Mr. Ford on a tip he was at one house, he fled out the back door and hid in the basement of the other house across the street. A female at the second house then tried to protect Ford by telling police he was long gone, having escaped on a motorcycle. She eventually came clean and gave up Ford, only after consequnces she faced were made clear.

Some neighbors are already reporting activity at these two homes to authorities, however anyone living in the area should be aware of problems eminating from this group of individuals, and not hesitate to report suspicions so corrective action may be taken.

Are there felons in your neighborhood?

Felonyspy.com is a great little site. Do You Know Your Neighbors? I mean, REALLY - Do you know your neighbors?

Just type in your address & your neighborhood map will pop up. Every place you see a red balloon or thumb tack is the home of a convicted felon.

Just hover your mouse over an icon & not only will the name come up, but also the crime they were convicted of.

Millville and Police closer to an agreement

Mayor Tim Shannon called a press conference in a last ditch effort to save police jobs.

City officials officials have asked police to accept eight furlough days to prevent the layoffs of nine officers and a dispatcher.

The city can demand layoffs but cannot mandate layoffs of its public safety employees, Commissioner Dave Vanaman said. At City Hall, employees are taking a 10 percent pay cut across the board and also have changed to a state health care plan to save money.

The last thing we need at the present time is a decrease in manpower on the streets. It seems that the concessions the city is asking for are reasonable. The county leads the state with the highest unemployment rate, near 14%. About a dozen city employees have been laid off. The rest took a 10% pay cut.

It is unreasonable for the police to be demanding pay increases far in excess of the cost of living increases during this time of a major recession(they demanded 4.75% up to 5% increase per year for five years, ending in 2011 - that is a roughly 25% increase on a base salary).

The city offered 3.5%, which is generous during a time when many are losing jobs. It is time for true solidarity, for the police union to be looking out for ALL of the officers, and to make concessions. During the years of plenty, you got what you wanted. Now it is time to put public safety first.

The city's offer seems more than reasonable to the many people looking for work, and more than reasonable to the many in this county that have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed.

Chief Ed Grennon uses resources to train officers

Millville Police Chief Ed Grennon used various resources other than local tax money to train more officers, making the MPD more self-sufficient.

Sgt. Harold "Junior" Duffield became a certified police cyclist instructor after he attended a week-long training course offered by the International Police Mountain Bike Association. The course consisted of both classroom and field training, including teaching methods, bicycle maintenance, day and night riding practices, and tactical procedures.

Duffield's certification will allow him to train city officers here, saving both time and money in the future.

Congrat's to Junior, we can't wait to see you on two wheels! The bike cops are one of the best ways to nip nuisance activity, as the bike cops can sneak up undetected, and catch the perps in the act.

Det. Lt. Les Watson, a 20-year veteran of the city police force, recently attended the Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network's conference in Columbus, Ohio.

MAGLOCLEN, a federally funded program, is one of six regional law-enforcement information-sharing systems in the country. Its goal is to facilitate greater information-sharing among local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies.

Another worthwhile program, bringing Millville into the 21st century. In case you are not reading between the lines, the reference to "organized crime" no longer refers solely to "the Mafia". Street gangs such as the Bloods, Crips, MS13, Latin Kings are all highly organized, boasting an intricate communication web. Why do you think many Bloods are in the county now? Their organizations have spread the word that Cumberland County is "prime territory".

At least now, local law enforcement will be have a communication and information infrastructure at least as efficient as those of the street gangs.

Dottie's Walk

Last night, Little Dottie joined us on the walk that bears her name. For well over twenty years, Dottie Wilkerson has taken to the streets on Monday evenings, joined by an entourage of concerned citizens and even elected officials.

Commissioner Dale Finch has been a regular for over two years now, missing only when he has obligations elsewhere. Commission and 3-time mayor Jim Quinn has been joining us regularly this year, and last night he was accompanied by Chuck Flickinger. City planning director Kim Ayres joined us, as did local resident and teacher Pam Corson.

Dottie is getting up there in age, but she walked a few block with us, which required quite an effort on her part. After dropping Dottie to her house, our group then continued, hitting the alleys of South Millville.

Dale was taking notes the entire time, ammo to give to Milt Truxton's group with orders to go out and cite properties that are out of compliance with city codes. The code enforcement officers will be out in force this week, with orders to leave their vehicles parked, and walk the streets.

This is a no-nonsense, common sense approach. It is one prong of many in the pitchfork that will make our neighborhoods clean and safe once more.

Isn't that nice

The names of the vermin arrested in the recent drug bust at 410 N. 3rd street, a slum rental owned by Tammy McCoy of Mt. Laurel, were revealed. One of these fine upstanding citizens, Elgenun Parish, charged with possession of pot, crack, heroin and intent to distribute is no virgin to the court system.

This piece of human defecation was sentenced on February 19, 2010 to 18 months in prison for possession of a defaced weapon.

Now tell me what is wrong with this picture? This piece of crap was sentenced four months ago, and yet he is in Millville selling heroin in our neighborhoods.

What is even more disturbing is that judge Benjamin Telsey only sentenced a criminal that was caught with a stolen, illegal firearm to 18 months - a mere slap on the wrist, rather than the mandatory 3-5 years for illegal weapons possession. What is the judge waiting for, for this piece of crap to kill someone?

Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to arrest a person that had no problem being in possession of an illegal, stolen gun. Judge Telsey slapped the cops in the face with a joke of a prison sentence. And even that joke of a prison sentence apparently means nothing as he was walking the streets.

I hear talk about getting the illegal weapons off the streets - well the place to start is for judges to grow cojones, and get the criminals that use illegal weapons off the street.

I understand that Ms. McCoy was one of the attendees of Millville's landlord training. Apparently she learned nothing. Had she been paying attention, upon renewal of the lease to this slum rental she would have had the tenant sign a crime-free lease addendum. She would have been checking on her property weekly, and prohibited her tenants from associating with known felons. She would have begun eviction proceedings immediately after noticing nuisance activity on her property.

But she is swell, living in her condo in Mt. Laurel, where I am certain the condo association would never allow even a tenth of what goes on at 410 N. 3rd Street to occur.

The official article on yesterday's drug bust

In today's Daily Journal - here is the official story that we broke as it was happening.

Five people were arrested on drug charges Wednesday on the 400 block of North 3rd Street -- in the same area as a gang-related shooting and stabbing earlier this week.

The house was a target in a long-term investigation involving narcotics and gangs, police Detective Sgt. Jody Farabella said Wednesday.

Kudos to the hard work of Farabella's team. They are always hard at work, and being undercover in a small town where everyone knows you is not easy.

Raid on N. 3rd St

A little after 1pm today, Millville Police targeted 410 N. 3rd Street in a raid. At least four upstanding citizens were led away in handcuffs.

410 N. 3rd street is owned by Tammy McCoy, 120 Farnwood Rd., Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Tammy also owns 407 N. 5th St., 523 Columbia Ave., 18 W. Foundry St. and 27 W. Foundry St.

Tammy has been recognized in prior years for her disservice to the residents of Millville. In 2007, she was inducted into our hall of fame, for this address, due to the high number of nuisance calls for this property.

Apparently she has no intentions whatsoever of making amends. She will rent out to whatever scum she wants to, making a living at the expense of Millville residents while contributing to the destruction of our neighborhoods.

This house is a frequent source of nuisance activity in Center City.I wonder if Tammy would appreciate a slum rental like this in her neighborhood?

Recap of weeks of violence

The Press of Atlantic City has a good article on the wave of violence that has been sweeping Center City.

In the past week alone, multiple shootings and stabbings have been reported from within center city. At least two people have been shot, and others may have been. Homes have been hit by stray gunfire, and cars, too, often in broad daylight. Many crimes originate in the same center city neighborhood, the area between Third and Sixth streets and Broad and Main streets.

Residents here live every day with gang and drug violence. For many, the violence is something they have come to expect.

The article is a fairly accurate depiction. If you read it, you will find the problem lays squarely in the laps of the residents that refuse to see anything, or know anything. One idiot claimed "the only way it will get better is if we leave". Sure - because you are too much of a coward to tell the police what you know! That is the one thing that really pisses me off, those people that want somebody else to fix the problem, and refuse to take ownership of their own neighborhood.

By refusing to cooperate with authorities, by refusing to get involved, you have handed the neighborhood over to third-rate thugs. All it takes is a phone call to police whenever you witness suspicious or nuisance activity. Give the police the address of the nuisance property.  Three calls in a month, and that landlord gets a letter from the city to cease and desist. If the landlord fails to alleviate the problem, they can be charged the cost of city services and liens will be placed on their property.

There was one factual error in the story.

Following a shooting spree that took place following the 2008 New Year, the Millville Police Department enlisted the aid of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department and New Jersey State Police for a few months.

Actually, then sheriff Mike Barruzza called the Millville Chief of Police, and volunteered to send deputies to help patrol the areas. This was Barrazza's idea, not Millville's. Chief Grennon was more than happy for the offer.

Our current sheriff is too busy on publicity stunts to do anything of substance to fight gang crime.

Was someone shot on Monday's fracas?

This just in - there may have been a third victim in Monday's disturbance in Center City. This seems to be a continuing problems involving the "usual suspects". The Monday incident was a continuation of the violence that began on Sunday.

Police say a 23-year-old city man who was arrested early Sunday following a fracas on North 3rd Street was one of two people stabbed during an altercation Monday afternoon.

Police dispatched to the 400 block of North 3rd Street at about 3:45 p.m. Monday on a report of gunfire there learned that Morningside Drive resident Stephen Rambone Jr. had been stabbed once in the right side of his torso, Millville Police Det. Lt. Les Watson said.

More violence in center city Millville

A stabbing helped conclude an argument between two teens last Sunday.

Police here say a 19-year-old city man stabbed a Vineland teen during a dispute on North 3rd Street following a bottle-throwing incident early Sunday.

The 19-year-old East Oak Street resident also is accused of spitting at police and threatening to kill the officers and everyone involved in an altercation at 3rd and Oak streets.

Andrew T. Ridgeway was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, terroristic threats, throwing bodily fluids at police, resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and disorderly conduct.

That section of Third Street has been referred to as a "war zone" by city commissioner Dale Finch. To his credit, Dale is on the streets every Monday evening, with Dottie's Walkers, targeting the worst neighborhoods to walk through.

Dale took me seriously when I suggested Millville adopt an ordinance similar to one adopted by Port Republic, requiring landlords to perform criminal background checks on all potential tenants. This will not be a cure-all, but it will be one more tool in our box.

Until then, we need citizens to take up the cause, to sit on your front porches a few hours at night, to keep your porch lights on, to join us on Dottie's Walk, to volunteer to become a Block Captain for the Neighborhood Watch. Become part of the solution, by doing nothing you ARE part of the problem.

More gunfire in Center City Millville

This time, the gunfire moved into the Arts District.

Police are investigating whether a Center City shooting late Thursday night is related to the Wednesday night shooting of a mother and son.

A residence on East Oak Street, between Buck and High streets, was struck by gunfire several times Thursday night, shortly before 10 p.m., police said Friday. Witnesses reported hearing approximately six shots fired in the area, a news release said.

Enough is enough.  Are we waiting for an out of town visitor to be shot before we take action? Why is the incompetent sheriff Bob Austino refusing to help? Several years ago, Millville saw a surge in gun crime. Then sheriff Mike Barruzza took it on himself to approach the Millville chief of police and volunteer to provide sheriff's deputies to provide a presence in the target areas. I guess Austino is too occupied on looking for ways to hire friends.

And as far as Millville politics - now is NOT the time to be laying off cops. We need more cops on the beat, and we need them there now. The insanity needs to stop.

Double Shooting in Millville

Yep, even more gun play most likely involving ganstas.This time near 6th and Mulberry.

Millville Police Det. Lt. Les Watson identified the gunshot victims Thursday morning as 37-year-old Jacqueline Downing and 21-year-old Edward Holland, both of East Mulberry Street.
Downing sustained a single gunshot wound to her left thigh, Holland a single gunshot wound to his right arm.

Both were treated at South Jersey Healthcare-Regional Medical Center and later released.
Witnesses reported hearing roughly 10 gunshots, which appeared to have been fired from the rear of a 600-block East Mulberry Street property, Watson said.

It is going to be a long, hot summer. I recently proposed Millville adopt an ordinance requiring all landlords do a criminal background checks on all new tenants. I also proposed that landlords immediately lose their rental permits if their properties repeatedly fall out of compliance with any Millville code.

I understand that the city is now looking at other cities with similar ordinances. Of course, it is too late to do anything about the current problems, but if the city sends a strong message to these slumlords that tolerate criminal activity, we can begin to reverse the tide.