By Jeff Simmons and Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writers | Sunday, October 7, 1990
The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A01
As an 80-year-old woman walked to her car outside Alexander’s in Paramus, two men in a station wagon descended on her, and one of them grabbed her purse.
The woman instinctively clutched it, and the car dragged her hundreds of feet across the parking lot. Finally, the man punched her in the face, causing her to lose her grip. Somehow, she was not seriously hurt, but the car sped off with $700 of her money.
Police say such incidents are on the rise, and the statistics bear them out.
Assaults and robberies jumped significantly in North Jersey in 1989, according to the Uniform Crime Report for that year, recently released by state police.
Passaic County Prosecutor Ronald Fava said that much of the increase is attributable to drug addiction.
“The crime increase of the last four years has been drug-driven, both in terms of violent and non-violent crimes,” Fava said. “You get someone who gets `cracked up, hits his wife with a baseball bat and kills her, but in normal circumstances would have had a fight and walked out. “
“Crime is just out of control,” said Ron Calissi, director of the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy in Mahwah. “Not just in New York City, but all over. You don’t even find respect for human beings anymore. “
Over the last five years, aggravated assaults have increased steadily statewide, from 19,037 in 1985 to 23,095 last year. Assaults with firearms, knives, and other weapons all have jumped.
Likewise, robberies rose from 19,267 in 1985 to 21,112 last year.
The statewide figures which essentially were mirrored in North Jersey showed that robberies and assaults increased in 13 of the state’s 21 counties, lifting the number of violent crimes from 44,892 in 1988 to 47,050 in 1989.
Last year, violent crimes were up 10 percent in Bergen County, 15 percent in Morris County, and 4 percent in Hudson County. They dipped by 3 percent in Passaic County.
The drop in Passaic’s crime rate may be tied to the local economy, said Hank DeVries, a police lieutenant in Wayne, where the number of non-violent crimes dropped by almost 13 percent.
“The economy here was good last year, which affects crime,” he said. “But that trend now is going the other way. “
The report also shows:
– There were fewer murders and reported rapes, but the sharp increase in robberies and assaults lifted the overall number of violent crimes for the second straight year.
– Hudson County had the second-highest number of murders in the state, 55. Essex County topped the list with 134. Bergen had 16, Passaic 20, and Morris 8.
– Bergen County had the second-largest jump in drug arrests statewide, an increase of 14 percent from 4,599 to 5,228. Only Warren County had a larger increase, 27 percent.
– Passaic County drug arrests went up 9 percent, from 3,493 to 3,805, and Hudson County was up 24 percent, from 8,583 to 10,623. But Morris County drug arrests dropped by 9 percent, from 1,679 to 1,525.
After poring over the report, authorities offered a number of explanations for the crime trends.
“In general, an increase in robberies is a direct reflection on the problem with drugs, which is an easy answer that everyone’s saying, but it’s true,” said Robert Loudon, assistant director of the criminal justice center at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “People need money for their drugs. “
Others also blamed more-aggressive criminals who believe that they either won’t get caught or won’t serve time.
“It’s a lack of regard for other people’s lives and other people’s properties,” said Deputy Bergen County Police Chief George Rickard. “It appears that people are more aggressive in every area of their life. I notice on the roadway people are more aggressive. “
Hillsdale Sgt. David Kramer, who teaches a course in social problems at Bergen Community College in Paramus, said crimes are being committed by repeat offenders who are psychologically predisposed to criminal activity.
Kramer said the increased crime rate also reflects a “weakened” economy, a suggestion also made by Bergen County Sheriff Robert Herb.
“There’s not a profusion of money out there to buy drugs,” Herb said. “A lot of users are becoming sellers to support their habits. “
The crime rate can be curbed through community awareness programs, drug education, hot lines for citizens, and stiffer sentences for criminals, authorities said.
The key to turning around the crime problem especially the drug problem is that it cannot be accomplished overnight, said Englewood’s acting police chief, William Luciano.
“We are just hitting the beaches now,” he said. “We’ve got the youths of this country involved in the DARE program, and they are the ones who are going to win the war against drugs. “
Keywords: NEW JERSEY ; ASSAULT ; ROBBERY ; STORE ; CRIME ; STATISTIC ; WEAPON ; THEFT ; VIOLENCE ; PC ; BC ; HC ; MC
Notes: Passaic page. 2 of 2 versions
ID: 17318628 | Copyright © 1990, The Record (New Jersey)
Leave a Reply