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Crime Rate Dips in Lacey

Ocean County experiences overall increase, keeping with statewide statistics

Overall crime in Lacey Township decreased in 2011 from 2010, according to data released with the state’s 2011 Uniform Crime Report.

The increase was owed to a decline in both the number of nonviolent and violent crimes recorded in the township, bucking statistics found in greater Ocean County, where crime escalated from 2010 to 2011. There was also a 3 percent rise in overall crime in New Jersey from 2010 to 2011, with increases in murder, robbery and rape.

Lacey recorded 773 total incidents of crime in 2011, down from 861 in 2010. However, the vast majority of crimes recorded were nonviolent—categorized as burglaries, larcenies, motor vehicle thefts and arson—with 745 compared to 819 in 2010. The number of violent incidents dipped, from 42 in 2010 to 28 in 2011.

The decline in nonviolent crimes is mainly attributed to less motor vehicle thefts in 2011, with 14 as compared to 17 in 2010. There were 107 burglaries in the township in 2011, down from 2010's 118. The township also experienced a slight decrease in larcenies (thefts without a weapon or force), with 624 in 2011 as compared to 684 in 2010.

The majority of violent crimes in Lacey were aggravated assault, according to the Uniform Crime Report, with 19 in 2011 and 31 in 2010. Lacey also recorded nine incidents of robbery in 2011 compared to 11 in 2010.

The overall crime rate per 1,000 residents waned from 31.1 in 2010 to 28.0 in 2011. The violent crime rate decreased from1.5 to 1.0 in the same time period and the nonviolent crime rate per 1,000 followed at 26.9 from 29.6 in 2010.

Countywide, the crime rate per 1,000 residents rose from 21.1 in 2010 to 21.8 in 2011. The violent crime rate per 1,000 declined by 0.1. The nonviolent crime rate increased, with 20.7 incidents per 1,000 in 2011 from 19.9 in 2010.

Ocean recorded an increase in only one recorded violent crime category -- rape with 48 in 2011 from 32 in 2010. The overall incidents of crime was 12,570 in 2011 as compared to 12,162 in 2010. The incline was primarily attributed to larceny with 9,326 in 2011 compared to 8,881 in 2010.

Lacey residents can easily compare how their municipality’s crime rate in 2011 compared to neighboring towns with an interactive map created by NJ Spotlight.

The map plots the total crime rate per 1,000 people for seven index crimes (violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and non-violent crimes are burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) using data from the recently released 2011 Uniform Crime Report.

The crime rate per 1,000 was considerably lower in the nearby, smaller municipalities. Barnegat registered a 2011 rate of 11.8 and Ocean Township 19.4. In Berkeley Township, the crime rate per 1,000 was 16.0.

As required by statute, all law enforcement agencies in the state submit monthly and annual summary crime reports to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, under the NJ State Police.

Information about 2012 will be released in December 2013. 

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Denis January 7, 2013 at 01:14 pm
Well lets look back to 2012 in Lacey Township...
Police Chief takes an unauthorized sabbitical that began days before the hurricane and lasted well after the following Nor'Easter. Police and Town Council don't pass at least temporary power of authority to standing Captain. Lacey Township Police worked long hours for several weeks (as did Fire and EMT's) supporting the hurricane detail and did an outstanding job. It's not as though these things didn't happen, they could not have possibly have had the manpower to manage them. Chief Nally has time and time again not pushed for additional staffing, despite the crime rate increasing in Lacey Township, unless it included a pay raise for himself. It's got to be awful difficult for any team to follow their leader when their leader has no respect for them. Most of the lacey Police Department do an outstanding job. Maybe we'd have had more arrests if we weren't sitting outside Caffrey's and Captains Inn waiting for people to drive away after closing. It would be interesting to see what would happen if citizens could sit outside there when those same officers were off duty. I am not saying it's ok to drive drunk, it is not. I'm just not convinced that our Police Department is looking after the things they should be looking after, but blame most of that on their former leader.
Robert Yates January 7, 2013 at 02:41 pm
@Denis: please reread the article above. Crime is Lacey Township is decreasing. It is not increasing and this is happening with less police, as we have had one if not two recent retirements. The article also makes - what I have been saying for months - very clear. The majority of the crime in Lacey is nonviolent and assault and robberies make up the little violent crime that there is. These statistics do lend support for the proposition that we need more officers. I have no idea if Nally was an effective Chief, but the statistics show that he was right not to push too hard for more officers, especially given their very high salaries.
JENNY JONES January 7, 2013 at 02:51 pm
i do agree about that waiting outside of restaurants to catch people..come on really? you cant go out for dinner and have a beer anymore...they can pick any car make up a reason to pull em over and they have you...lol then they put you in the paper like you are a criminal rapist etc idk... i get it if you are really drunk but an extra beer can ruin alot these days
Robert Yates January 7, 2013 at 03:06 pm
typo: there should be a "NOT" in the third to the last line in my first post between "do" and "lend".
Dale Doback January 7, 2013 at 03:45 pm
Robert, I would make the opposite argument. The reaseon we have such low crime in Lacey, the majority of it nonviolent as you so often point out, is 100% without a doubt because we have such a respectable, professional, & well-paid police force, albeit still grossly understaffed. You often compare Lacey to bigger, poorer, inner cities. I would argue the reason crime is so much higher & more violent in those places is because the police are not as professional, well trained, or adequetly paid as they are here. I would bet you anything that if you replaced our police officers with a sampling of officers from Camden or Detroit, it would take less than 6 months for the word to spread and the crime, violent or not, would probably double. As a taxpayer in Lacey, I am more than happy to pay the roughly $12 per month of my taxes that directly fund ALL of the police budget, including all those fancy 100,000 mile police cars that sit behind the building, as well as the salaries, training, benefits, retirements, etc that our officers earn. In fact, I would be more than willing to DOUBLE that and pay $24 per month to maintain the professional force we have and keep Lacey from ever turning into Camden or Detroit! Kudos to our officers for managing to keep crime somewhat in check given the staffing and resources that have been stripped away from the police department over the years.
Captain Ed January 7, 2013 at 04:09 pm
Well I'm glad they are stopping the RASH of burglaries. It took a bit but they arrested like 11 people. I know there have been a few new ones but I'm confident they will put a stop to them too. If they are lowering crime and getting the job done then something is working.
Frank S January 7, 2013 at 04:35 pm
wow Robert unreal
do you really think crime is decreasing or do you believe they are just catching less ppl ? Just think if Le Tellier plan was in place the Tc could hire more cops with the savings
Frank S January 7, 2013 at 04:36 pm
Whos Hickey?
Robert Yates January 7, 2013 at 04:42 pm
@Dale: that is an interesting though - I think - wrong assessment. Crime is low in Lacey because it is a community of hard working people, who make decent and good livings, and who make decent and good decisions. Police presence surely has the effect of deterring a small number of people who might otherwise commit crimes, but it is not the primary reason that Lacey is safe. Look at the common denominator in all the high crime inner cities that you cite above. Crime results from a combinations of a loss of manufacturing jobs (and hence wide spread poverty in lower to middle class working neighborhoods), perpetual welfare (hence instilling a sense of entitlement and reliance), the removal of the mean by which people can defend themselves and various other reasons. I think it is crazy to suggest that people only behave themselves because the police are here to keep us in line. That is insulting and I hope wrong, otherwise humanity is doomed. You assert the same false position that Life Long Lacey Resident expressed in another thread; that is that government agents hold a monopoly on virtue and good judgement and that without them chaos would reign. Moreover, I don't think you will find much support (even amongst the most argent supporters of increasing police presence) for the proposition that we pay our chief over $300K and our patrol officers over $200K to work in a safe community,
Robert Yates January 7, 2013 at 04:46 pm
Good point Frank S. I do not know. I guess we would have to see the statistics on unsolved reported crimes in Lacey. Can the author of this article find that information?
I have now seen reference to "Le Tellier plan" a number of times. What is that plan?
Dale Doback January 7, 2013 at 04:55 pm
Unfortunately Robert, that is the reality. If the police were gone, we would be living in a different world. Look at Syria, Afghanistan, etc. you are using the American way of life as a comparison, but life is much much different in most of the rest of the world. Police or not, you cannot count on "humanity" for much and history has shown that time and again. Do you really believe that if you publicly announced that there would be absolutely no police in Lacey for one month that the humanity in people would prevent them from doing wrong? People can't manage themselves with the police! For an easy example, what do you think the average speed people drove on Lacey Rd would jump to during a one month police furlough? It has been proven many times and in many arenas that the majority of people obey the law, including traffic laws, for fear of being caught. I hate to burst your bubble, but as humans, we're not as warm and fuzzy as you like to think!
Robert Yates January 7, 2013 at 06:01 pm
@Dale: I have no illusions about the human condition. I know bad thing are going to happen, but you failed to address the point I made about your presumption that public officials are somehow immune from the human condition (i.e. doing bad things). I would trust the regular joe (who is sitting next to me at the diner minding his own business) well before I would ever trust someone who seeks to exert control over my life (i.e. someone sitting at a restaurant waiting to ruin my life for driving home after consuming a couple brews; a perfect non-crime, yet probably illegal) Your two examples are ironic to say the least. The US destabilized Afghanistan; it was a very orderly (albeit decentralized) country before were invaded it. The same goes for Syria (before we started arming and financing the rebels) NB: According to your logic the US should have been a wasteland of crime and debauchery prior to the mid to late 1800s when formal police forces became the norm. If you have a population that is moral and respects the rights of others, crime will be low. If you have the opposite, crime will be high. Quick question: who has killed more people this past century? Governments keeping their subjects in line or the kind of people who might be speeding down Lacey Rd? I'll take the latter if I can reduce the former.
Sarah B January 7, 2013 at 10:57 pm
@denis. you are right. it seems to me that the police department did a great job when they were tested under the worst of conditions. to me anyway that means a lot. everybody who talks about the police department around town talks about how the chief was not around during the storms and even when he was around, he was not involved at all. that tells me that the rest of the department pulled it off without him. i have confidence in our emergency services in town even if the former chief was a dud. as for the crime rate being lower in 2011, i took the time to look at the reports from prior years like 2005 -2010. wow. the crime has gone up a lot in our town.
Sarah B January 7, 2013 at 11:02 pm
also. people are saying a lot about why the chief had to retire. in my opinion, rumors are not good, they should be put to rest with the truth. what happened to the media on this very important story. how can the mayor say that the chief of police was investigated by the prosecutors office leading up to the chief's announcement he was to retire, and no details were ever given as to why? i personally expect more out of the media these days.
Sarah B January 7, 2013 at 11:23 pm
unfortunately, there is a small but motivated portion of our population that wake up everyday with a focus on using every method possible to victimize others for personal gain. it would be cool if we could count on those people to just change toward the positive for the good of all. if you or i, as good intentioned citizens, took care of ourselves and took down those people who look to victimize us, what method would we use, and how would that method be accepted by others who may then view us as the oppressor. absent our wishes being reflected through the representatives we elect to speak for the people, who would then decide what is right or wrong. would each individual choose for herself. it is easy to speak against the government, but like it or not, our government is us. just sayin!
i for one have never been afraid of the police. they operate in a society where their every action is watched and scrutinized. if they break the law and get away with it, that is our fault. if they enforce laws that we don't care about, that is because we allow it. if they ignore laws that we want enforced, it is because we have failed to speak up and make it their priority as well. if we allow a no show chief to get paid a lot of money and not ever have to do his job, likewise it is our fault. hey, i think we might actually agree on something.
Sarah B January 8, 2013 at 03:31 am
i did fifteen minutes of searching and found these statistics on crime in lacey on the state police website:
burglaries of homes in lacey 2005 58 2006 94 2007 95 2008 81 2009 100 2010 118 2011 107 the numbers for other crimes in lacey are similar within the uniform crime reports online. why is this not being reported. burglaries alone have increased by 85% in lacey since 2005 and based on the patch articles, i'm sure the 2012 numbers will be even higher! wtf! http://www.njsp.org/info/stats.html
JOHNNY Done it January 8, 2013 at 05:06 am
The numbers are only good as the reporting of them (crime) .The economy has gotten worse & so is the drug problem (stealing to pay for them) so the breakins have in increased so has reponding to the big box stores for reported thefts ,So after all that crime has gone down ?????, I dont think so , The only thing that may have gone down is the reporting of the crimes or the correct reporting..The pen is mightier than the sword......
Robert Yates January 8, 2013 at 02:44 pm
@Sarah B:The concept that "the government is us" is to a certain extent true. It is true in the sense that Americans get the politicians and laws that they want and deserve. In this same sense, America is doomed because it wants way more than it can afford and it no longer cherishes freedom. The concept is not true in the sense that government is no longer responsive to their constituents. It is too big. If we had the same per capita proportion of representation in the federal house as the founding generation had, there would be over 10,000 representatives. There is no way 435 can adequately represent 300,000,000 plus people. I can't even get Runyon to send me a letter addressing this topic. To preserve freedom, government should only be involved in people's lives when absolutely necessary. Nowadays, if you think of any aspect of life, you can bet the government is involved in it one way or another. Perhaps this is acceptable to you and in that case maybe the government is you but it is not us.
JENNY JONES January 8, 2013 at 07:56 pm
reporting has gone down if you happen to know the chief and then you get away with drunk driving etc...another thing i dont get is all these names in paper before theyve gone to court..so if something is thrown out etc you never see that ...or like i said if you know chiefy you dont get in paper etc
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kitty June 16, 2013 at 02:18 pm
Aww! I'm glad your dad get better but it's funny part bout he said bout Philly lol
Myra Evans Hayhurst June 16, 2013 at 02:51 pm
Your father was truly blessed. I am so happy that you could wish him a Happy Fathers Day.
Spooner June 10, 2013 at 04:21 pm
Do new maps have FEMA's WHALIS modeling applied. Those preliminary maps didn't. Modeling willRead More affect final Base Flood Elevations(BFE)
proud June 11, 2013 at 10:15 am
It's WHAFIS, not WHALIS, and it MUST be incorporated in the overland wave propagation modeling. I'veRead More been telling you this for weeks @Spooner. I offered to discuss it, but you were caught up on some sand blaster theory. BFE's will certainly be affected. As a sidebar, the author of the link mentioned mixed up the mapping terms. We currently have effective maps or FIRM's which establish BFE. The maps (ABFE)that were released in December and adopted as the state building code (+ freeboard) are advisory (incomplete and wrong). Working maps are due out in a few weeks followed shortly thereafter by preliminary maps, which are the maps that can be appealed. Approximately 18 to 24 months after the release of the preliminary maps there will be new effective maps (new FIRM's) with new BFE 's. If the preliminary maps are not drastically different than the ABFE's, you can count on a mass of appeals, and quite likely, protracted litigations.
proud June 11, 2013 at 10:17 am
@Spooner, I have something that you may want to read. Go to the Borough of Mantoloking website. OnRead More the right hand side is a column entitled Post Sandy Information. Near the bottom is a tab called "uncategorized". Click on it and there is a letter used as the Boro response to ABFE. It is very telling and makes a lot of sense.
proud May 8, 2013 at 01:18 pm
Day Seven Laceygate Dr. Brower continues to be paid for doing nothing.
proud May 9, 2013 at 01:14 pm
Day Eight Laceygate Six grand and counting
proud May 10, 2013 at 10:15 am
Day Nine Laceygate Friday Night Live at a theater near you
PKS April 16, 2013 at 03:44 pm
Bye Bye.......and don't come back now ya hear!!!!
River City Rover May 9, 2013 at 12:31 am
You had yor head up your whatever and where not an investigative reporter. Pat Miller runs circlesRead More around you. RIP
People wake up May 21, 2013 at 02:10 am
You always did a great job !! Congratulations on your next journey in Life!! Thanks for keepingRead More us informed!! I hope this posting isnt rejected
GB Shore April 24, 2013 at 04:50 pm
Did he say he did? Typical Rep Club word twisting. YOU stop misrepresenting what he said. It'sRead More clear for all to see. Perhaps you did not recognize the word advice in the headline? Did you pass reading in school? Stop twisting and playing political games.
GB Shore April 24, 2013 at 04:52 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Scumbag??? really. Another loser Republican Club member. Yeah, theRead More Republican Club represents Lacey....PLEASE. He's someone who has a different view of the world. Stop being a jerk...JP, Rude One etc. aren't around anymore...your club is a farce and is dying...you certainly do noting for anyone unless they agree with your view of the world...sickening...
GB Shore April 24, 2013 at 04:58 pm
It's pretty clear this person is aligned with or part of the Republican Club in town. They don'tRead More like it that there are Reps' in town who don't like what the "official" Republican Club stands for. Too bad !!!!! As it is, I became an Independent because I could not stand having my name affiliated with these classless individuals anymore, or to have anyone think I support or align with their "chosen" candidates. they are an embarrassment. They can't think for themselves and they can't have a civil debate of ideas....this was instilled for years by JP....since he's not around any longer, they are trying to uphold this pitiful positioning about what it means to run and be a civil servant. Quite sad for that matter... BTW, I spoke in person with Greg....he's a fine person and a Police Officer. CERTAINLY more class in his pinky than Resident of Lacey and his ilk.
Kim May 12, 2013 at 05:30 pm
They are definitely here to stay and our efforts at getting rid of them are ill-conceived. We canRead More move them from one place to another, if absolutely necessary. Where I live in Scarsdale NY, Geesebusters got rid of the geese from the library pond. The pond is now devoid of waterfowl but loaded with turtles for some reason. Pretty soon people will be complaining about salmonella, calling them an "invasive species" or some other ridiculous argument. In my town, egg-oiling was done to keep the population in check, and if this annual process is done in every community (takes about a day or two once per year), the whole issue can be put in perspective and costs nothing. People really need to get over this irrational irritation with geese.
proud May 12, 2013 at 05:47 pm
Not only that, the rhythm method does not work.
proud May 12, 2013 at 05:58 pm
The Canada Goose--not Canadaian Goose-- or Canada Geese in the plural form ( and of which there areRead More several sub species) is native to North America and can be found in Canada, the USA and Mexico,as well as Europe and even as far away as China. Canada, as we know it today, was under British rule from 1763 ( the treaty of Paris) until 1867 when it became it's own dominion. Prior to that it was largely populated by the French which ceded most of it's North American Colonies after the Seven Years' War. Preceding the arrival of the Colonial Eurpeans, modern day Canada and been inhabited by distinct groups of Aboriginal civilizations for centuries dating back to the arrival of the Paleo-Indians. For what it is worth, Native American Goose would be much more fitting identification than Canada Goose. That being said, the geese are here to stay.I don't care how many kites you fly or how many dogs are being supported by the Lacey Township Board of Education. With the apparent distaste of the Natural Gas Industry by various federal administrations, I would support technology that would convert goose droppings to an energy producing fuel. Supply and demand would support this outside the box thinking. Go Green!
no_money_left March 23, 2013 at 10:51 pm
at this time you do NOT need to worry about the comp sales or whatever reduction you are asking forRead More - just leave it blank on the form. Just complete the portion that is applicable to your current situation. Your comps and requested valuation is needed 7days before your appeal hearing.. You will need to provide that information to the county, town tax assessor and clerk. Write the information as a letter and hand deliver - get them to date stamp your copy. When you are researching comps go to the property tax web site (listed below) to see the data on the lot size, house size and MOST importantly - NON USE CODE. There are about 30 variations. Use sales that are dated 10/2011 to 10/2012. If you use a appraiser- it cant be a bank apprasial and the appraiser MUST be present at the hearing. Lastly - you can not make any statments on $ VALUATION - you are not qualified.. so dont bother to try to add or reduce value for anything different on your comps. Your town tax collector and town atty will not allow it at the hearing. http://www.njactb.org/
JOHNNY Done it March 24, 2013 at 02:56 pm
IF you are doing it this way you are going to tax court ,You put the comparable sales down youRead More usually get this worked out before you go to tax court between the assessor & you. Make sure you have additional of the 5 requested on the form just in case some of them they will not let you use
JOHNNY Done it March 24, 2013 at 03:01 pm
Go to APP ,com go on data universe go on property sales fill in the search ..2012 sales These willRead More list when it was filed with the county.. than go to Zillow ,com with addresses more info about the houses are there to see if they are comparable to yours ,property size, square footage ,and amount of rooms & baths