The nanny municipality
Among the issues commanding the attention of the Council recently has been the question of Teaneck's response to the alarming uptick in gang activity in town. Last night's Council meeting featured an impassioned discussion about a resolution ratifying a costly proposal to add police officers to help combat the gang problem in town. Ultimately, with some apparent reluctance, a majority of the Council agreed to back the plan in response to the gang threat. As one of the voices calling for serious consideration of the issue in consultation with the Teaneck Police Department command, I am pleased to see that Township officials have taken the issue seriously, despite the unwelcome financial burdens associated with the proposed solution. Hopefully, the recommendations of our law enforcement officials will prove effective enough to put an end to gang activity in town.
What did not please me were the comments of a number of residents and officials who spoke at the meeting. It seemed that several speakers were subtly assigning blame to the Township for the gang problem. As they rattled on about the need to demonstrate to the youth of Teaneck that the community is behind them through expanded programming and handouts of public funds to local non-profit organizations, it became clear that certain individuals simply cannot pass up an opportunity to advocate for additional services, more government spending, and a greater role for public institutions in community life, all at taxpayer expense.
One might argue that the root cause of gang membership and violent criminal activity is poor parenting, low self-esteem, boredom, or whatever other excuse one might offer and that attempts to stamp out such anti-social behavior that do not address these root causes are doomed to failure. It does not then follow that it is the responsibility of every Teaneck taxpayer to furnish entertainment options for local teens. It would be terrific if we had the resources to prevent every young person in town from getting mixed up with gangs and falling into a life of criminal behavior. We do not. In fact, Teaneck does not even have the resources to pay for the additional police officers needed to contain the existing problem, though we have little choice but to do so. The best we can do at this stage is take steps to protect the innocent from the pernicious side effects of gang activity in town. There is no way we can protect the criminally inclined from themselves, too.
It's time to look away from government and towards ourselves as individuals if we want Teaneck's children to turn out better. What kind of parents, grandparents, or siblings are we? Are we volunteering our time with local organizations as mentors, coaches, tutors, or the like? Are we giving what we can afford to give financially to the causes that matter to us, or are we just putting our hands out to others, hoping to compel them to make up the difference?
The Township of Teaneck handles public safety and law enforcement, and for that reason, the Council has just agreed to saddle our community with a significant ongoing expense to protect public order. The people of Teaneck as family members, neighbors, and friends are responsible for steering our youth down the right path. It is time for us to individually assume an equal responsibility for achieving the outcomes we hope for.
posted by Teaneck Blog @ 3:30 PM
28 Comments:
I am sorry hiring more cops is not going to solve the gang problem in Teaneck. It is simply another waste of the tax payers money.
But I do agree with you that parents,grandparents etc. need to play a BIGGER role in their childrens lives!
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As a person who used to work for an inner-city human services agency, I can tell you that after-school and evening programming targeting at-risk youth is EXACTLY what we should be paying for. Social workers and youth outreach workers are a lot cheaper than cops, and wonder of wonders, having something productive to do keeps young people out of trouble. Why wouldn't you want to prevent a problem before it even happens? Much in the same way that wellness benefits and preventive medicine are less costly than paying for disease treatment, getting young people away from trouble and into positive activities costs less and is ultimately more beneficial than beefing up the police force. The police department originally asked for 14 more positions -- that's a lot of police officers.
In addition to the five police positions that have now been funded,we need a coordinated effort among all organizations serving young people to deal with the gang issue, and I fully support my taxes paying for it. I'd happily give up my weekly curbside garden debris pickup to fund some youth programming -- those grass clippings don't seem to need our help as much as our young people do.
after-school and evening programming targeting at-risk youth is EXACTLY what we should be paying for
Perhaps we should extend the school days and the school year for the kids that are at risk, kill two birds with one stone, heck we already pay enough in school taxes that this should be douable!
The police force is already way too big for a town Teaneck's size. The Council should not have created an additional $750,000 a year burden for the taxpayers. The "gang situation" (whatever it is) is anything but a local problem. The federal and state governments should be financing it, not the property payers of Teaneck.
If gangs are allowed to go unchecked in Teaneck then all the taxbreaks in the world will not keep you in town.
There needs to be expertise added to the resources of the township: people who know about gang recruiting, and prevention. The Recreation Dept. (started in 1943 after a kid with a gun on the roof of Cedar Lane theater scared the populace) has programs, the schools and Bd of Ed have programs, the township has the issue on the table, the resources are tremendous. There needs to be a plan, execution and follow-through. The police are one part of the answer. Who will maintain the focus on this issue and coordinate the efforts? Police alone are not the answer.
Just remember- this expenditure increases annually as the police salaries increase- in 5 years when they are at top pay the salaries alone will be in excess of $500,000 total for all 5. Add in benefits, pension contributions, etc. and who knows how high the number will go. We pay county taxes- why can't the Chief set his ego aside and work with them?
The liberal minded women on our council keep speaking about "shared services" yet feel Teaneck should hire 14 more officers? Why can't this service be shared?
If the problem has been around at least since 1943, why do we need to add police salaries/benefits costs in 2007?
Smells like a political move to get the police department/Chief onto somebody's side.
Most of what the current cops in this town do is give tickets. Are they going to finance the increase in police cost with even more ticket blitzing?
Most of what the current cops in this town do is give tickets. Are they going to finance the increase in police cost with even more ticket blitzing?
Your joking right?
8:33
Do you have a car?
Have you ever jaywalked?
No one is saying added police is the sole answer but I believe the extra manpower, together with ongoing shared efforts with the schools and county, should be supported. Our police department does far more than "write tickets" and should be supported in their efforts. We have a large town surrounded by three major highways close to a major city.
Most importantly, Teaneck citizens must work with the police - not against them - to try and nip this gang problem in the bud (or at least, stem the rising tide).
Do you have a car?
Yes, never gotten a ticket, not even a parking ticket.
Have you ever jaywalked?
Nope, I use the crosswalks or if none is present cross at the corner and do so with the flow of traffic.
How about ticketing speeders on Cedar Lane, people that cross double yellow lines infront of the 7-11 or the medical building on the corner of Cedar Lane and Queen Anne Road?
MSJK-
The added man power of a few new cops is not going to help anything except reach deaper into the taxpayers pockets!
For the record, the vote was 6 to 1 in favor of hiring five additional officers with Mr. Feit casting the sole dissenting vote.
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as one of the "youth" discussed, i feel that YES, more afterschool programs would help, BUT they have to be interesting to those you want to target. in the same way that an advertiser wouldnt advertise sesame street toys to teenagers, you need to create activities that we will enjoy. sports such as baseball are one, but they wont cover all the bases (pardon the pun). you need to target as broad a group of todays youth as possible, with different activities targeted to each age group.
6:48
Are you a member of a gang? Are you at risk of joining a gang? Or are you just one of the youths in town?
What a minute! Didn't I read in one of the papers that the gang activity in Teaneck isn't necessarily perpetrated by Teaneck residents? Wasn't some of the drug-related violence caused by gangs using Teaneck as their own turf? How will more programs in Teaneck stop infiltration from out of the township?
Exerpted from the 6/27 Bergen Record:
Roughly 40 percent of North Jersey municipalities have a significant gang presence within their communities, authorities said Tuesday.
Statewide, Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said about 45 percent of police departments have reported gang activity in their jurisdictions -- up from 33 percent in 2004.
"If you've got a gang presence, you've got a gang problem," Fuentes told 300 or so attendees at a New Jersey Gang Summit conference at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County.
Such seminars have become commonplace in recent years as police seek to educate a public that they say has often been slow to acknowledge gang growth in New Jersey.
"Many people still have no clue about the gang threat in their communities," said Joe Viola, a retired Bergen County Sheriff's Department detective, who spoke Tuesday about gang threats in New Jersey schools. "People just don't want to hear about it."
Anon 9:15am-
So just how long has the TPD known about the gang problem (from what hear for quite a few years)? And why have they waited this long to do something about it (why did they not nip it in the bud way back when and save the taxpayer money)?
I would rather see the money go into the education system and after school activities. Apparently, no one wants to face the fact that the Teaneck Public Schools are starting to becoming an inner-city thug-a-thon. Shall we say, great white flight?
Apparently, no one wants to face the fact that the Teaneck Public Schools are starting to becoming an inner-city thug-a-thon. Shall we say, great white flight?
I totally agree!
I disagree vehemently...how dare you comdemn an entire group for the actions of a few?
Anonoymous 4:34-
What exactly do you disagree with?
There has been a white flight from the Teaneck Schools and they are not all just the Orthodox leaving for the Yeshivas.
The whole reason to invest in activities and programs for kids is because Teaneck is seen by gangs as an undecided territory. This is the wild west of gangland -gangs from outside the township are trying to establish chapters in Teaneck. This means recruiting, organizing, flexing muscle, etc. The kids in town have to have options OTHER THAN gangs to make this an area unprofitable to recruit from.
Sit on Elizabeth or Cranford one morning in September. See how many kids come from NYC to school here (NY license plates).
Their parents set up PO boxes to establish residency and send their often troubled students to THS to escape the NY issues.
A number of Teaneck students (ALL GRADES NOT JUST THS) are from the Bronx, Brooklyn, etc.
There needs to be a thorough investigation of the student body so we ensure that the kids who go here are from here.
Anonymouse 11:24
Nothing you posted is news to anybod in this town excpet perhaps the BOE who refuses to do anything about it!
Oh wait I am sorry we have ONE attendance officer who oversees all of the Teaneck Public schools, guess he has let a few kids fall through the cracks!
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