By WILLIAM CLARK
The best way to solve or deter a crime on your property may be your neighbor.
Neptune is reworking the old Neighborhood Watch program to help catch criminals and hopefully prevent property crime in the first place.
Gary Brown lives close to the ShopRite where the homeless encampment currently exists. At the most recent Township Committee Meeting, Brown said that although some people are in dire straits and in need of help at the camp others there are a danger to the residents of his neighborhood.
Recently a break-in took place in the neighborhood but with the help of neighbors close by the police were able to apprehend the suspect in a few hours, according to Brown.
He then held up a picture of one of the classic blue and white signs that have dotted residential streets for decades, communicating that a community is part of the neighborhood watch.
Committeeman Rob Lane said that the Neptune Police Department is in the process of reworking the program.
Lane said that the Department of Public Works is currently working on an updated sign that will hopefully be of assistance to homes around the township.
“I’m gonna be working with the police department as well as neighbors in that area as well as probably work to get the signs out and get this started again and hopefully spread out to other areas of town that feel they need a little extra neighborhood watch,” Lane said.
Lane said the old signs that still dot the streets are outdated to the point of lacking an area code.
Doorbell cameras and other property surveillance devices are also coming to the aid of law enforcement. With the proliferation of these services, Lane hopes that they play a larger role in helping ward off criminals.
“Hopefully the more people that do get caught doing this would slow it down and look at taking too many chances with all this technology out there and getting caught,” he said.
In terms of working with police, the more community support, the better, Lane said.
“We always want to make sure we do our best for the residents,” he said.
