by Kaitlin Zeilman

Even in small towns where crime rates are usually low, there is still reason to be cautious. According to CityRating.com, statistics for robbery and theft in Gloucester Township are at 0.33 and 0.54 times the national average, compared to Glassboro, at 0.76 and 0.97 times the national average.

Gloucester Township has had a few incidents involving robbery and assault in the last few months. Police have said that all cases are being looked into and leads are being followed up on.

Outside Skeeter's Pub, the scene of the first assault. Staff Photo/Kaitlin Zeilman

According to a wanted poster obtained from the Gloucester Township Police, there is an ongoing investigation looking into an assault of an off-duty female police officer from another jurisdiction that took place at Skeeter’s Pub and Liquor, located on Coles Road in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township. The police have a sketch that the victim helped compile, but are asking the community for help in apprehending the suspect. According to the poster, the perpetrator is believed to be a 5’11” male of Asian or Hispanic descent and is believed to have dark hair. He has some damage to his face and hands from the scuffle.

Even after repeated phone calls, the owner of Skeeter’s Pub was not available for comment on this case.

Officer Sean D. Grannan, head of the Gloucester Township Police Crime Prevention Unit and Police Chief Smith’s office said that the identity of the victim could not be released for reasons of privacy. There was some speculation by locals that the victim may have been a Washington Township Police officer, but the Washington Township Police could not be reached for comment.

Foxcroft apartments, site of the second assault. Staff Photo/Kaitlin Zeilman

There was also a robbery/assault case that took place in

Gloucester Township on Jan. 3 that the police still need help solving. The police responded to a call at the Foxcroft Apartments to what the police termed in the report as a “strong armed robbery.” According to Officer Grannan, a strong armed robbery is when one “uses an element of force to enact theft.” In this case, the element of force was the suspect’s fist punching the victim in his face.

According to the police report, the victim left Foxcroft Apartments to go to a nearby store when the perpetrator approached him, told him not to move and then punched the victim in the face. According to Officer Grannan, $568 dollars was taken from the victim in the robbery before the suspect fled the scene.

EMS responded but the victim was only treated for minor injuries. The suspect in this case, according to police, is described as being a white male, 5’7” to 5’10” tall, who was wearing a black jacket at the time. The male victim’s name could not be released, according to Officer Grannan, because of privacy concerns as well as the ongoing investigation. Police Chief Smith’s office confirmed as of last week that there have been no arrests in the case.

When Foxcroft Apartments management was reached for comment, they also would not release the name of the victim, citing tenant privacy law. They were sure, though, that the perpetrator was not from their facility. When pressed as to how they would know that information, they did not respond further. Anyone that might know further information about either of these cases is urged to contact the Gloucester Township Police at 856-228-4500 or the Anonymous Tip Line at 856-842-5560.

Every town and city alike needs to be vigilant in their crime prevention efforts in order to give residents the best quality of life possible. David Mayer, mayor of Gloucester Township, has a plan of action to keep his town safe. Mayer said he has already been out on a tour of the township with Police Chief Smith to check out problem areas caused by absentee landlords not being held accountable for what occurs inside and around their properties. Although Mayer did not name any specific locations, he did say that most of these issues were within townshouses and apartment complexes.

There are also plans to form a  Quality of Life Committee, which is a partnership between the police department, Public Works, and Code Enforcement. Part of the Committee’s job would be to enforce nuisance ordinances, which would fine landlords for police being called too many times to their property within one calendar month. Mayer expressed an interest in investing more into programs like  Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) for elementary school children, but also in finding a high school effective equivalent.

According to Mayer, Gloucester Township is a 24-square mile community of about 70,000 served by a police department of 111. He would like to add to the police force, but factors such as overtime and benefits have made it difficult. His solution is to collect revenue from newly installed red-light cameras (starting by July) on Blackwood-Clementon Road provided by NJDOT to catch traffic offenders so as not to cause a tax increase for citizens, and use that money to add to the police force.

Another program that Mayer is planning on instituting even further is the National Night Out, which involves groups such as Town Watch and other community leaders, including the police department. National Night Out exists for the purpose of bringing attention to local crime prevention efforts and encourages citizens to become more involved in the security of their community. There is a neighborhood party to bring everyone together to meet their neighbors as well as township officials. Gloucester Township, according to Mayer, is ranked 25^th in the nation in the program’s participation.

Mayer also discussed the issue of gun control. Most gun control laws are set by the state, but there are also local hunting ordinances in place. Since Gloucester Township has a lot of wooded areas, these ordinances keep hunters from coming too close in contact to where residents are.

Jenny MacKay wrote in her book Criminal Profiling that “Everyone knows that there are people out there who break the law, and most of us take steps to prevent becoming their victims.”