By Stephen Appezzato
To thwart thieves, the Monmouth County Park System (MCPS) is upping security in high-trafficked parks.
Emergency public phones coupled with security cameras are being installed in four county parks to increase security for visitors. Thompson Park, Henry Hudson Trail Park, Dorbrook Recreation Area and the Manasquan Reservoir Park are the first in line to receive the additions.
According to MCPS director Andrew Spears, the new safety measures were a response to increased car break-ins. As The Two River Times reported in May, a series of organized smash-and-grabs occurred at Thompson Park, with thieves robbing visitors of cash, valuables and even driver’s licenses, posing a risk of identity theft. Following the event, the MCPS and local police issued an advisory for visitors to secure or hide valuables while leaving cars unattended.
Parks can be prime locations for thieves as visitors often leave phones and other valuables unattended in their cars while using park facilities.
Last year county commissioners “grew increasingly concerned over vehicle break-ins in some of our county parks” and looked to restore a sense of safety “that residents had become accustomed to in the county parks,” said Spears.
Working with the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the two organizations determined emergency phones and cameras would be the quickest and most effective way to restore security.
“The cameras will help us identify unlawful activity in the parking lots and the emergency call phones will provide real-time information to the county 911 center that can be relayed back to park rangers when there is some sort of incident in the park,” Spears explained.
The emergency phones will function just as Blue Light systems do on college campuses across the country, allowing residents the ability to contact emergency services if they do not have a cellphone on hand, a common occurrence for runners and bikers exercising outside.
The original contract to purchase and install the 18 emergency phone stations and eight multisensor cameras throughout the four parks totals $716,419. The money came from the MCPS’s county budget.
Smash-and-grab thefts are not new to Monmouth County and are a problem up and down the East Coast, according to the Middletown Township police and the MCPS.
According to Spears, this is just the first phase of new park security measures. Following the installment of phones and cameras in these four parks, the county will look to install similar equipment in other locations.
The article originally appeared in the July 13 – 19, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
