To the Editor: Why Penalize Residents For House Alarms?
I have lived in West Windsor for over 11 years. In that time, I have seen a West Windsor police car patrolling my neighborhood perhaps a dozen times. Burglar alarms allow a police force to function in a more efficient manner, saving them patrols and allowing them to respond to situations where there is potential for a crime actually being committed.##M:[more]##
Since alarms allow the more highly paid officer to function more efficiently, an alarm records system that needs to be maintained on a part time basis by a lower paid clerk seems to already be a significant cost savings to the town and its police force.
Neither the police force nor the town paid one penny toward the installation of these alarm systems. Neither the town nor the police force pay people to monitor these alarms; that is done by the alarm system providers, who also call a house before sending police in order to cut down on false alarms. The ongoing expense is paid for by the homeowner.
Now they want to collect a fee for allowing the homeowner the privilege of protecting his home, his children, and the town while saving them work.
No one denies that false alarms are a problem for police and may take them away from preventing “real crime.” If the goal of this tax is to cut down on the number of false alarms so that police can do their jobs, no problem — let’s charge the offenders not the whole town.
A fee of $100 for first false alarm offense; $300 for the second and $500 for the third offense would more than compensate the police for time lost and get the attention of those that need to be aware of the problems they are causing with false alarms.
Perhaps a one-time registration fee per homeowner of $15 to $25 to get the current database up to date is reasonable. Please don’t insult my intelligence by saying it costs $25 per house per year to maintain a generally inactive database. If the police are really concerned about people moving without updating their database, they can require as part of settlement in any real estate transaction in West Windsor from now on a $25 alarm fee that will alert the department that a new owner is in place.
All new or amended installations in the township can have a required document provided by the alarm system installer, forwarded to the police, that a new system is now on line.
Just because other towns have police forces more interested in collecting fees than solving problems, it doesn’t mean that we need to follow their lead. Is there anyone in West Windsor who believes we are under taxed or provided with too many free services by our town?
Maybe the West Windsor police need to go back to the drawing board on this one.
Henry Henkel
Providence Drive,
West Windsor
Chief Responds
Cara Latham, news editor, discussed the new policy with West Windsor police chief Joe Pica. Latham’s report:
The new policy, which requires residents to pay $25 annually to re-register their home alarms, went into effect in January, 2007, according to Chief Pica, but the policy was not enforced until this year because “we took the approach that the first year would be more of an educational year, and we would not take any enforcement action.”
Pica explained that discussions about the new policy began at the end of 2006, when it was proposed that the department create an annual registration instead of a one-time registration for alarm systems. This was because under the old system, residents were only required to register when they initially moved to town or got an alarm system, for a one-time fee of $25. Thus, residents who moved out, and those who moved in, sometimes did not alert the police department, and “we had no updated information,” Pica said.
“There was no way we knew whether that alarm still existed,” he said. “We didn’t have any way to track down who to reach, and quite frankly, the system we had was useless as far as contact information. Our thought was that annually, they have to update that form. It lets us know the contact information and any materials in the house that we have to worry about.”
The ordinance established that residents must re-register annually, which also means they have to pay $25 every year.
Notices were sent to township residents in the beginning of January explaining the policy, and since then, Pica acknowledges some residents have called to complain. Most, he says, “have just taken it in stride.”
Pica says that the police department researched how other neighboring police departments were handling the situation, and they were charging $25 as well.
Last year the police department responded to 2,”200 burglar alarms. While some were legitimate, most of them were false alarms.
Aside from the money it needed to hire a part-time clerk to monitor the database and do record-keeping associated with alarm registration, and collect fees — a position earmarked for 20 hours a week — the $25 registration fee, Pica said, goes right into the township’s general fund. “The police don’t get it; the court doesn’t get it,” Pica said. “It goes into the general funds. It’s used to offset the tax increase.”
Re-Think Attorney Issue
Concerning the article entitled Redev. Attorney Conflict Brewing which appeared in the Friday, February 8, West Windsor-Plainsboro News, I must respond to Councilman Morgan’s recollection of the compromise made by Council.
If he rereads the resolution that Council adopted on July 23, 2007, and as pointed out in the article, it clearly states in the third WHEREAS that “West Windsor Township will retain another law firm for redevelopment legal services upon a public interview process and recommendation by the Mayor to Council (emphasis added).” I would never have agreed to have the powers, rights, and responsibilities of the office of the Mayor usurped by Council, which is what the compromise was all about.
I also agreed to a redevelopment attorney review committee which included the Council President, Planning Board Attorney, and Township Business Administrator. My number one recommendation was apparently a consensus of the committee for the most qualified firm. In the spirit of cooperation, I offered two candidates, not just one. The two candidates are leading legal firms representing municipalities in redevelopment throughout the state and have the highest peer review ranking available.
Both are totally professional and neither is political. The qualifications of each firm are open to public review through the Clerk’s office. I cannot understand how Mr. Morgan can reject these two firms that clearly will provide taxpayers with the very best advice on a very complicated area of land use law. Shing-Fu Hsueh
Mayor, West Windsor
Warmth of Scholarships
In the last issue of the West Windsor & Plainsboro News, Euna Kwon Brossman in her “Suburban Mom” column tells of being warmed by hearing about the accomplishments of Monica Pham since she received a $1,”000 scholarship from Merrill Lynch upon graduating from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School in 2000.
The residents of the Village Grande at Bear Creek, an active adult community, share this feeling. Through the Village Grande Civic Association, eight $1,”000 Joseph M. Dantone scholarships have been awarded in memory of our organization’s founder to graduating seniors of West Windsor-Plainsboro high schools over the past four years. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of these scholarships, we will be inviting previous recipients to return at the end of the spring semester and share with us their college experiences.
The Village Grande Civic Association will award two more $1,”000 scholarships at that time as our residents continue to support the education of our young people.
Edward O’Mara
President,
Village Grande Civic Association
Reduce Speed on Schalks
Thank you so much for the story about Schalks Crossing Road (February 8).
I firmly believe if the speed limit was 25 miles per hour, there would be a reduction in the number of accidents here. In the nine years I have lived here, I have seen hundreds of accidents. Speed is a factor.
Emily Bisio
Serina Drive
To the Editor:
Senior citizens are being encouraged to take safety precautions to prevent falls, which are the number one cause of brain injury in older adults.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and to address the need for public education and awareness, the Brain Injury Association of America and affiliates, including the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, are offering tips and scheduling public events to help increase knowledge about brain injuries and the precautions that can be made to prevent them.
This year’s Brain Injury Awareness Month campaign is: “Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury,” a national initiative developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that encourages older adults and their caregivers to learn about ways to prevent, recognize, and respond to brain injury in seniors 75 and older. Brain injury is caused by a blow to the head that affects how the brain works, and it is a special health concern for seniors. You do not need to lose consciousness to have sustained a brain injury.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services’ Center for Health Statistics, almost 9,”000 individuals in the state are hospitalized as a result of a brain injury each year. Falls are the most common cause of brain injury, accounting for 63 percent in people over age 65 in New Jersey.
The following tips are being offered to senior citizens to help them avoid falls:
Exercise regularly: exercise programs like Tai Chi that increase strength and improve balance are especially good.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines-both prescription and over the counter-and warn you about side effects and medications that do not work well together.
Have your eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year.
Improve lighting and reduce hazards in their home that can cause falls.
For a Heads Up! Seniors checklist to better identify behaviors and changes to prevent falls, please contact the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey at 1-800-669-4323 (in New Jersey) or 732-738-1002. Or visit our website at www.bianj.org/Heads%20Up%20Checklist.pdf.
The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey encourages senior citizens, caregivers, and members of the general public to attend the events scheduled for this year’s Brain Injury Awareness Month. Events include Brian Injury Basics for Families and Brain Injury Awareness Day at the Statehouse in Trenton. These events are free and open to the public.
March isn’t the only time the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey works with senior citizens, however. On a regular basis, interactive presentations and resource materials are offered for senior citizens, caregivers, and health professionals regarding protection from falls and other relevant issues.
The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is our state’s chartered affiliate of the Brain Injury Association of America, devoted to providing education, outreach, prevention, advocacy and support services to all persons affected by brain injury and to the general public.
For more information please visit www.bianj.org or call 732-738-1002. The Association also offers a toll-free helpline in New Jersey, 1-800-669-4323, for people who have sustained brain injuries, their families and professionals seeking information and resources
The Brain Injury Association of America is the leading national organization serving and representing individuals, families, and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury. For more information about the Brain Injury Association of America please visit the association’s website at www.biausa.org or call the National Brain Injury Information Center at 1-800-444-6443.
