Rahway’s 14-percent drop in crime last year followed a wider trend throughout the area of declining crime rates, including a 13-percent dip in Union County overall and a 4-percent drop statewide.
Continue reading Drop in Rahway crime rate followed regional trend
Overall incidents of crime in Rahway dropped by 14 percent from 2012 to 2013, including an 11-percent decline in nonviolent crime and 38 percent in violent crime, according to the latest Uniform Crime Report (UCR) released last week by the State Police.
Overall crime dropped 13 percent last year compared to 2011, including a nearly 10-percent dip in violent crime, according to statistics released by the Rahway Police Department.
After four years of declines, Rahway saw a spike in reported crime incidents of almost 10 percent in 2011, nearly twice as high a jump as the countywide rate, according to the latest Uniform Crime Report (UCR) (.pdf) by the New Jersey State Police.
Overall crime in Rahway dipped some 15 percent last year, led by drops in larceny, burglary and motor vehicle thefts. It’s the fourth year in a row crime has dropped, according to the state Uniform Crime Report (UCR).
The Police Department is expected to begin moving into the new police assistance center on East Cherry Street this week. Police Chief John Rodger said the Police Auxiliary, which had typically used the basement of City Hall, already has started using the facility.
Keeping with a pattern of falling crime rates throughout the county and state, Rahway’s crime rate dipped 9 percent last year, according to the state’s annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR), released last week.
A police community assistance center is in the works for the former Beverage Shop building on East Cherry Street. The city purchased the property from the Rahway Center Partnership (RCP) this past spring.
“This project is absolutely about involving the community in helping us take what is currently an underutilized and neglected structure and restoring life back into it,” said Police Chief John Rodger, for however long the building is available to use, whether a year or five years.
He hopes to have the exterior “looking like something” by November with the building functional after the new year. The plan for the nearly 2,000-square-foot interior includes a reception area, work area, large conference room or classrooms where programs could be run and a few smaller conference rooms for meetings and counseling needs. “The floor plan is evolving and we will know better as the cleanup continues,” Rodger said.
Routine patrols will be able to complete many aspects of police reporting that currently occurs at police headquarters and non-patrol staff will be assigned to do a portion of their work week there. The center is intended to be a place for “positive police activities,” said Rodger, though he declined to call it a substation. He expects the Juvenile Bureau will be there often as “it’s the perfect place for meeting with parents and children away from the traditional police environment.”
Other uses might include neighborhood watch and business watch groups, child seat inspections and installations, community relations functions, bicycle registration and youth academy, among others. The chief anticipates staffing the location from about 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. while patrol staff will be able to — and encouraged — to use the facility around the clock.
Ideally, Rodger would like to replace the facade with something more modern, similar to Park Square or Dornoch’s renovations on a Main Street property. It all depends on cost, according to Rodger, since the project must be done as economically as possible though it’s still unclear at this point how much it might cost. The department has applied to use some forfeiture funds, which can be used under specific rules, and Rodger said some local businesses already have pledged support, including RSI Bank. “We will be looking toward other business leaders to donate or provide in-kind services to complete this project,” he said.
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Original RPD press release