Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said council wanted to let residents know they were serious about decreasing crime and make resident and business owners aware they can come to council or the Trenton Crime Stoppers organization with crime tips, concerns or ideas.
Trenton City Council members held a press conference today decrying Trenton's latest crime wave. An August 2011 file photo shows council members listening as members of the public discuss police layoffs.
TRENTON — Saying it was time to take a stand against the city’s latest surge in violence, City Council members today urged residents, business owners and community members to band together to report crimes, police their own children and communities and demand an end to the seemingly unrelenting crime wave hitting the city.
“Silence and inaction is no longer an option,” Council President Phyllis Holly-Ward said at a noon press conference.
Just an hour before a federal grand jury handed down an eight-count indictment against Mayor Tony Mack for alleged corruption, all seven members of council stood side-by-side in council chambers, with Holly-Ward saying they wanted to make a public stand opposing the violence and ask for help in ending it.
“It needs to be clear that as individuals, at times, we may have different opinions and goals,” she said. “But we stand together on this issue as one voice, one council, and we ask you to join us to work to improve this community’s quality of life.”
Still, there were pointed questions from residents and reporters about just how much council could accomplish with a press conference and the expected denouncement of violence.
“Isn’t this more of a symbolic gesture?” one woman asked.
Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said council wanted to let residents know they were serious about decreasing crime and make resident and business owners aware they can come to council or the Trenton Crime Stoppers organization with crime tips, concerns or ideas.
“We need them to work with us, we need them to reach out to us and we’ll do everything within our powers as council to work with the police department to change the scene out there,” she said. “This isn’t a symbolic gesture on the part of council. We have our differences, but we’re together on this.”
The press conference came as elected officials scrambled to devise a new strategy for combating an ongoing crime spike that has included 24 homicides so far this year and several shootings in just the past several days.
Several hours before the press conference, Mayor Tony Mack released a letter he wrote to Gov. Chris Christie asking him to send more state police to patrol the city or more state aid to hire an additional 60 to 75 police officers.
City council members said they had not yet read Mack's letter.
Instead, council members, in particular Councilman George Muschal, voiced support for a zero-tolerance policy against crime and stricter enforcement of the city’s current 10 p.m. curfew.
Muschal suggested city leaders and police force teenagers off the streets by 10 p.m., ask bodegas and corner stores to close by 9 p.m. to prevent people from congregating outside and require bars to close by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends.
“There needs to be more accountability,” Muschal said. “The individuals out there roaming the streets, they have access to guns. Police officers aren’t challenging them because it’s 1 on 10. They’re not even getting out of their cars.”
Muschal and council members were asked if the city and its police department had totally lost control.
“No,” Holly-Ward said.
Muschal said it was tough for the short-staffed department to respond and investigate crimes when a third of the force – more than 100 officers – was laid off last year.
“If you say you’re going to stop every crime, you’re not going to do it, but we’re short 108 officers and that’s a problem,” he said. … “I wouldn’t say they’ve lost control, but they can’t do the job. They’ve lost the ability to do the job. You can’t do more with less.”
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• Trenton Mayor Tony Mack asks residents for help as crime in city rises steadily