Scully’s grandfather was a police officer in Newark for over 30 years and his father founded and ran a security company for years where he and his brothers worked.

“I became interested in police work after working at Monmouth Mall. I interacted a lot with the Eatontown police,” he said.

The arrest of Gregory Deas, 36, and Crystal Ashby, 31, occurred on April 27 following an investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Narcotics and Organized Criminal Enterprises Unit.

Detectives stopped Deas for a motor vehicle violation and found a quantity of suspected heroin in his leased Chevrolet Malibu.

Detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office arrested Michael Petrowski, 37, and his wife, Star Petrowski, 33, both of Asbury Park, on criminal complaints charging them with numerous crimes relating to their heroin and cocaine distribution activities.

The arrests follow an investigation which was begun by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Narcotics and Organized Criminal Enterprises Unit in February 2009 after law enforcement authorities received information indicating that Michael Petrowski was responsible for distributing significant amounts of heroin in the Asbury Park area.

To read the rest of this story get the April 9 edition of The Coaster on your newsstand now.

“It’s hard to say if one has to do with other,” said Captain Kevin McDermott of the Ocean Township police force, which is currently investigating 10 car burglaries that took place between March 13 and March 17 in the Wayside section of the Township.

To read the rest of this story get the March 26 edition of The Coaster on your newsstand now.

The investigation is continuing and police are looking for anybody with information about the crime to contact Neptune Police Det. Michael Dugan at (732) 988-8000.

To read the full version of this story get the March 12 edition of The Coaster on your newsstand now.

Chief Mark Kinmon said this week the number of violent crimes was reduced from 355 in 2007 to 281 in 2008.

Both the chief and Det. Eugene Dello, the P.B.A. representative, say the decrease in murders, rapes and assaults have allowed police to focus more on prevention and investigations.

“It’s allowed us to be more proactive, not reactive,” Dello said.

A major success this year was a program implemented by the local P.B.A. that allows callers to anonymously provide information to police about people in town in possession of handguns.

The caller is given a $500 reward, paid for from the P.B.A. dues.

“That shows how important it is to them,” Dello said.

This year 60 guns were collected due to anonymous calls.

“And all without incident,” Kinmon said. “That’s unheard of. There were no injuries to officers. The officers showed restraint. If it wasn’t for the dedication of the officer this would have never happened.”

“That’s 60 guns that won’t be used in the city,” he added.

Expressing his pride in the department Dello said, “There is not one officer that shouldn’t be commended, each and every one. They are heroes.”

Dello credits Kinmon’s leadership for both the declining crime rate and improved morale in the department.

“The chief is being very modest,” Dello said. “The crime rate is the lowest it’s been in 10 years.”

“Each and every officer has contributed. They come in when we have an incident. I remember when officers didn’t want to do that,” he said.

One of the major factors in the reduced crime rate is the department’s focus on working hand in hand with other law enforcement agencies such as the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff and the F.B.I.

The cooperative efforts, said Kinmon, gives additional personnel to those agencies, but also provides more officers in the city when they are needed.

“It gives them additional people and if something happens, we pick up the phone and they’re there,” he said.

The number of gunshot incidents in the city was reduced to only five in 2008, down from 29 in 2007.

There was also a decrease in gang-related activity following two major crime sweeps carried out by several law enforcement agencies.

Also arrests for DWI rose from 36 in 2007 to 60 in 2008.

“The days of driving drunk through Asbury Park and thinking you are not going to get caught are over,” Dello said. “Because of the lower crime rate, we have time to do this.”

In fact, Kinmon said he used to get complaints from citizens about drivers ignoring the speed limit in the city.

Now he says he is getting complaints from people about being pulled over.

Drug complaints have also gone down from 1,038 n 2006 to 515 in 2007 and only 372 in 2008.

“We are getting these people off the streets,” he said. “The message is we’re not going to stop.”

Dello, who has been on the force for 25 years said Chief Kinmon has improved relations with the community.

“(Now) they call the department,” he said.

Other programs include a new tip line allows residents to call in with information regarding crimes and suspects.

The COPS program, or Citizens on Patrol, has also helped stem crime.

“The relationships our officers have built have paid off – the message we sent is that that’s how we want to do business,” Kinmon said.

The street crimes unit alone made 900 arrests, Kinmon said.

Another boost to the department is the expansion of court from once a week to three times a week.

The installation of surveillance cameras in the city in recent months has already resulted in several arrests.

The chief did not want to say where the cameras are located, but said more will be installed by the spring, some visible and others not visible. Police also have a floating camera than can be moved to various locations.

Dello said the department has a good relationship with the new county sheriff, Kim Guadagno, which he called, “a whole new friendship.”

Kinmon and Dello said the night of the power outage Dec. 9 the county offices were extremely helpful.

“There wasn’t one incident,” Kinmon said.

“That’s because we are working hand in hand with all these agencies,” Dello said.

“That’s the value of maintaining good relationships,” Kinmon said.

Dello said Asbury Park police officers have been recognized statewide for their efforts, winning awards from state and local organizations.

The VFW in Asbury Park named officer Ed Raisin, Police Officer of the Year for his efforts in the seizure of over 100 handguns in his eight years on the force.

He was also cited for his work as part of the Monmouth County Gang Task Force and prosecution of numbers members of the Bloods street gang.

Also the state P.B.A. presented an award for valor to one shift of the Asbury Park police department for their handling of a dangerous situation when a man with a knife, who was wanted in four New Jersey jurisdictions threatened officers and told his mother he was ready to die.

The subject refused to drop the knife but officers were able to shield themselves while disarming the man with no serious injuries.

“Because of their heroic efforts they are the most awarded cops in New Jersey,” Dello said.

Kinmon also said the relationship between the P.B.A. and police administration has improved.

“Before, the only time the union rep and the chief were in the same room was because there was a dispute,” Kinmon said.

Chief Kinmon also said the clearance rate for crimes has improved.

Police are fingerprinting every case, are investigating more and can be more thorough because of the reduced crime rate.

Guys are not going from call to call, they have time to investigate, Dello said.

“Nothing is falling through the cracks,” Kinmon added. ]]> http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/2009/01/07/city-police-report-decrease-in-violent-crime/feed/ 0 http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/2008/10/23/traffic-lights-to-be-removed-from-city%e2%80%99s-grand-avenue/ http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/2008/10/23/traffic-lights-to-be-removed-from-city%e2%80%99s-grand-avenue/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:36:06 +0000 Coaster http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/?p=4200 By PAUL BOOTH
Traffic signals at five intersections on Grand Ave., and one on Park Ave. will be removed in favor of stop signs, according to a report given by the Asbury Park Police Department to the City Council.

According to Police Chief Mark Kinmon, a traffic study performed by the police department’s Traffic Bureau has concluded that removing five traffic lights along Grand Avenue will allow for a steadier flow of traffic without posing a safety hazard.

The lights will be removed along Grand Avenue at First, Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Avenues and one at Park and Sixth Avenues.

“The project will be done as quickly as we can order new stop signs and then go out there and physically remove the signals. It will probably be 30-60 days,” said City Manager Terry Reidy.

It has yet to be determined what is to be done with the outgoing signals. Some may be dismantled for parts to repair other traffic lights in town. Councilman James Keady suggested that they try to sell the traffic signals.

“Some restaurants might be interested in that type of thing,” he said.

A 56-year-old Tinton Falls man was arrested this week and charged with robbing five banks including the Central Jersey Bank in Bradley Beach last week.

Police arrested Richard Demott, 56, Tuesday after two members of a task force investigating the robberies spotted a man matching the robber’s description in Ocean Grove following a meeting on the bank heists, said Bradley Beach Police Chief Leonard Guida. After making further inquiries, the suspect was transported to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s satellite office in Asbury Park, where he was arrested.

Demott is suspected of robbing the Sun National Bank in Shrewsbury, the Hudson City Savings Bank in West Long Branch, two Two River Community Banks in Tinton Falls and Red Bank and the Central Jersey Bank in Bradley Beach. The robberies took place between May and August.

Bail was set at $1 million. Demott has been charged with five counts of armed robbery, each of which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. He has been cooperative with investigators thus far, Guida said.

Guida declined to comment on how much money Demott is suspected of stealing or whether it had been accounted for yet.

The task force was led by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office and included detectives of the five municipalities that had banks robbed and the FBI. Neptune Township police also assisted.

“I’m very pleased with the fine police work that resulted in his apprehension. It truly was a cooperative investigation,” Guida said.

Neptune police are investigating several burglaries and break-ins in Ocean Grove over the weekend.

Police said the break-ins took place late Saturday night into Sunday when residents were home.

The incidents happened on Ocean Avenue, Bath Avenue and Atlantic Avenue.

“All of the homes were entered through either open or unlocked windows or doors,” states the release.

Police say items stolen include money, small personal items and electronic devices.

Police patrols went to the homes later Sunday morning after the homeowners discovered the crimes.

In the release police advise residents to be vigilant in locking and securing their homes and to report any suspicious activity to police calling 9-1-1.

The investigations are continuing and the police are asking anybody with information about the crimes to contact Neptune Police Detective Louis Cuevas at (732) 988-8000.

Police are also investigating the theft of a cash bag taken from a step guard on the beachfront Tuesday.

The incident took place at approximately 1:30 p.m. The suspect is described as a white male in his mid to late 20s, approximately five feet 11 inches tall and 180 pounds with an olive complexion and scruffy beard.

He was on a bicycle and approached a step-attendant and grabbed a bank bag containing a small amount of cash from the attendant’s lap.

The subject then rode off on a dark colored multi-speed bicycle. He was last seen wearing a white tee shirt and blue denim shorts or pants.

He was last seen riding south on Central Avenue. The attendant was not injured.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Cuevas.

Law enforcement officials are looking for this man who they say robbed a Main Street bank in Bradley Beach Tuesday.

Investigators from the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office are looking for a man who robbed the Central Jersey Bank on Main Street in Bradley Beach Tuesday morning.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bradley Beach Police Department are also involved in the investigation.

Police Chief Leonard Guida said the robbery was committed by an adult, white male at about 10:30 a.m.

The man entered the bank and handed a note to the teller demanding money.

No weapon was seen, Guida said.

Guida said the last bank robbery in the borough was five to 10 years ago at the bank that is now a Bank of America on Main Street.

The perpetrator was arrested not long after the robbery, he said of that incident.

Guida said investigators are looking for connections in several recent bank robberies in our area.

A statement from the prosecutors office said the note the robber presented to the teller demanded an undisclosed amount of money.

The note also threatened the use of a gun, but no weapon was actually displayed, the statement said.

The man was given an undetermined amount of money before promptly leaving the bank.

He is described as between 40 and 50 years old and about 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall.

He was wearing a light colored T-shirt, dark sweat pants with vertical stripes down the legs and a green baseball cap.

The incident was recorded on the banks security cameras.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, Detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bradley Beach Police Department are working diligently in conjunction with Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to solve this crime. We are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the man depicted in the photos which were captured by the bank’s security system.

Valentin urged individuals with information pertaining to this bank robbery to contact Det. Jeffrey Wilbert of the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office at 1-800- 533-7443 and/or Det. Terry Browning of the Bradley Beach Police Department at 732-775-6900 and/or the Red Bank field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 732-741-0006.