As 2017 ends, DeMaio looks at the crime stats

Photo by Daniel Jackovino
Public Safety Director Sam DeMaio at his desk in the Law Enforcement Building.

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield Public Safety Director Sam DeMaio is warning residents that theft is one crime that spikes during the holiday season, and he advises anyone having a package delivered to make certain someone is at the final destination to accept it. Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving when shoppers go online for sales and deliveries has increased the possibility of theft by putting more packages on the front steps, he said.

“Historically, robberies and thefts are up here,” DeMaio said on Monday, Dec. 4. “But over the last two years, police foot patrols during peak shopping times, in the center and the North Center, has been a deterrent.”

Packages left unattended are not the only reason for an increase in theft. According to DeMaio, the NJ bail reform law is another reason.
“Bail reform is terrible,” he said. “People that would be arrested now get released from being handcuffed. Instead of spending the weekend in jail, they are on the street.”

The state Bail Reform Law was signed by Gov. Chris Christie in August 2014. It went into effect Jan. 1, 2017. Under the new law, in determining if a defendant should be freed on bail, a judge would assess the likelihood of the defendant fleeing, committing another crime, or intimidating a victim or witnesses.

If the risk of these transgressions is low, a judge could release the defendant pending a future court appearance. According to the state Office of the Attorney General, risk-based bail reform keeps violent criminals, who could buy their way out of jail, in jail. It also allows defendants having little money and charged with nonviolent crimes to be released and not incarcerated and a burden on the criminal justice system.
But DeMaio has data that shows non-violent crimes in Bloomfield have increased over last year, although slightly.

Year-to-date, from Dec. 3, 2016, to Dec. 3, 2017, the data show Bloomfield burglaries have increased 4 percent, from 74 incidents to 77.
Thefts in the township have increased 2 percent from 582 to 595 incidents during that time.

According to the NJ Uniform Crime Report, compiled by the State Police, in 2015, there were 106 burglary incidents in Bloomfield, compared to 78, in 2016. That represented a decrease of 26.4 percent. There were 604 incidents of theft in 2015 while in 2016 there were 625 incidents, an increase of 3.5 percent.

DeMaio said the violent crimes of robberies and aggravated assaults have decreased in the township because these criminals went to jail.
From Jan. 1 to Dec. 3, last year to this year, robberies have decreased 11 percent, from 28 to 25 incidents. Aggravated assaults have decreased 3 percent, from 29 to 28 incidents.

One crime in Bloomfield that has seen a considerable decrease is simple assault. This is an assault where no weapon is used. According to State Police records, comparing January to October 2016 with January to October 2017, simple assaults decreased from 121 to 88 incidents, a drop of 27.3 percent.

“Simple assault is not a crime that can be deterred,” DeMaio said. “But there are ways. You patrol places where people congregate to drink and use marijuana. This is done by our anti-crime unit in plain clothes. We concentrate on parks and parking lots.”
He said the unit was created two years ago.

“If you eliminate the atmosphere you eliminate the problem,” he said.