By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Police departments in the Two River area are reporting a general decrease in call volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people stay inside and keep off the roads.
There has been, however, an uptick in car burglaries in the area, as well as scam calls and first aid calls.
According to Oceanport Police Chief Michael P. Kelly, this issue is not unique to the borough or even to the county, as it is happening across the state. The belief is that there are two rings of criminals operating out of North Jersey who are stealing high-end cars and items inside them, like wallets and cash.
“Everybody has been hit with them in Monmouth County,” said Kelly. “We usually have them, but they’re intermittent.”
But in March, there were a reported 30 car burglaries on the east side of Oceanport; two cars were stolen and later recovered in Newark. In April, in the Kimberly Woods section of town, there were four or five vehicle burglaries. According to Kelly, these rings usually take the cars, put them in containers and ship them overseas to be sold.
Aside from burglaries, the Oceanport Police Department is seeing an increase in first aid calls, not necessarily related to COVID-19 cases. More people are home, and Kelly believes that’s why there have been more calls of people falling, suffering strokes and experiencing mental health issues. The department has only had a few coronavirus-related calls.
There is also a bail scam going on throughout New Jersey that targets elderly community members. Scammers are gathering information about the victims, claiming to be bail collectors and telling them that a family member is in jail and needs bail money.
“They’re preying on these people and they’re actually getting them to give their information and showing up at their homes,” said Kelly. He believes residents from five county municipalities have been impacted.
Answering emergency calls during the shutdown has created certain challenges. The department is trying to handle as many calls as possible over the phone; more serious calls are handled in person. Officers who are dispatched to any crime scene must take the proper precautions to keep residents and themselves safe; they wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 masks and gloves.
“We were lucky we had a supply of PPEs,” said Kelly. “We don’t want officers, and unfortunately it’s happened, bringing the virus back to the home.” Two officers from the department have needed to self-quarantine due to potential exposures to the virus.
Kelly also minimized staffing in the department’s building at the beginning of the pandemic to avoid having officers in close quarters. Some were given administrative days at home, allowing them to be on-call but not in the office.
“That minimizes the number of officers here. Internally, that was the one major thing we did,” said Kelly. “I prohibited officers from congregating. Roll calls were basically done via phone or email so they wouldn’t all be in one area at one time.”
Rumson Borough Police Chief Scott Paterson also has his officers in the proper PPE for serious and crisis calls, but they are keeping their distance as much as possible. They do not enter a house without proper equipment, he said.
The Rumson Police Department has, like Oceanport, also noted an overall decrease in call volume since social distancing orders started. Borough residents have reported some car thefts, however, and the department is getting calls concerning violations of the governor’s executive orders. That includes residents outside with others, not wearing masks or face coverings.
“I feel as though with the opening of our golf course and tennis courts and stuff like that, we’re going to see an uptick in those sorts of things,” said Paterson. “We’re hoping and praying and asking for everybody to do the right thing and pay attention to all the executive orders.”
This past weekend was a true test for New Jersey residents. It was the first weekend after Gov. Phil Murphy reopened state parks and allowed county governments to open parks and golf courses if they chose to do so. Monmouth County opted to open their facilities and, according to the freeholders, it was successful.
“I am so grateful to the Monmouth County Park System for handling the reopening of the parks and golf courses in such an exemplary way,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System, in a press release. “I have always said that we have the best park system in New Jersey and I was proud to hear that Governor Murphy, who visited Thompson Park this weekend, publicly complimented the way the County parks were set up and monitored.”
The parks are open during normal posted hours, available at monmouthcountyparks.com. Parking is limited to half capacity. Park rangers monitor visitor loads and can temporarily close parks if parking lots become too full. Buildings, including restrooms, shelter buildings and picnic pavilions are still closed.
The article originally appeared in the May 7th – May 13th, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
