Chief: Vigilance, Communication Key for New Nutley Neighborhood Watch

Nutley police want residents to be alert and in touch.

In a Tuesday night meeting to organize the township’s new neighborhood watch program, Nutley Police Chief Thomas Strumolo and his command staff urged residents to look for and report suspicious activities.

Strumolo said that relative to its neighbors, public safety isn’t an insurmountable problem.

“Our crime rate is lower than in nearby communities,” Strumolo said.

According to statistics presented by Strumolo, 323 crimes total crimes were reported to Nutley police in 2012. That number dropped to 307 in 2013, Strumolo said, and can drop further still with the community’s help.

Strumolo noted that 80 burglaries from parked cars occurred in 2013. The Chief and his detectives said that many of the thefts were from unlocked cars and that while they are difficult crimes to respond to they are easy to prevent.

“People come in from out of town and look for crimes of opportunity,” Strumolo said.

Among his goals for a neighborhood watch program is to reduce fear of crime and deter criminal activity.

“Don’t ever hesitate or say you don’t want to call the police,” Strumolo said. “We want you bother us.”

He said he was reaching out to the community through social media and other online and electronic means, saying that residents can receive immediate crime and safety news by “liking” Nutley Police’s Facebook page or signing up for the crime bulletins via email with Neighborhoodwatch@nutleypd.com.

He said that he planned to have quarterly meetings for the crime watch group.