The Trenton Times published the following article on July 8, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Trenton council members introduce “Safe Box” for anonymous tips to fight crime
By Alex Zdan/The Times
on July 08, 2013 at 7:22 PM, updated July 08, 2013 at 8:35 PMTRENTON — In an effort to fight back against a gun violence wave they say is made worse by a lack of police cooperation by residents, Trenton city council members yesterday introduced a new idea: the Safe Box.
A locked church suggestion box has been refashioned into a low-tech tipline for people to leave anonymous information. Councilwoman Phyllis Holly-Ward, who devised the idea, said Safe Boxes will be placed mostly in churches.
No one will know whether a person is dropping in a crime tip, a suggestion to the pastor, or a prayer request, she said.
“We cannot guarantee you this will stop the gun violence or solve any crime,” Holly-Ward said outside Grace Baptist Church this afternoon. “What I can tell you is silence is a killer in itself, and silence is no longer an option.”
Four churches have signed on to host the Safe Boxes. Their pastors will hold the keys and periodically go through the boxes, sorting out the tips and passing them along to police.
The program still has no established rules for who handles the tips and how they are processed.
“To be honest with you, we’re going to have to have faith,” Holly-Ward said.
Regina Thompson-Jenkins’ only child, Tre’ Lane, was murdered last September. No arrests have been made in the case, where two gunmen sprayed a front stoop with bullets. Thompson-Jenkins attended Holly-Ward’s press conference to voice strong support for the tip box.
“If we had a box like this, Tre’s killers would be caught right now,” she said.
Since her son’s death, Thompson-Jenkins has crossed the threshold into his room just twice. She said she still can’t get a full night’s sleep.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” she said. “When it knocks on your door, it turns your life upside down.”
“And it’s time we stand up and take our city back,” she added.
Police Director Ralph Rivera Jr. said he supported the measure, as people with information are often reluctant to come forward and tell the police.
“I don’t blame those individuals, because I understand some of them are operating under fear of retaliation,” Rivera said.
“The reality is our shootings are up, this is affecting our homicides,” he said.
Crime Stoppers has been offering cash rewards for anonymous tips for a dozen years. Board member Jim Carlucci said anything that gets people to share information with law enforcement is a good thing.
“The community is the missing piece here,” he said. “Whether it’s Crime Stoppers or Safe Box, the goal is to get the community to respond.”
Donning yellow T-shirts made for them by an artist’s community that Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said is “fighting crime with art,” the majority of Holly-Ward’s council colleagues supported the Safe Box idea.
Councilman George Muschal, a former cop, admitted there are already telephone tip lines like Crime Stoppers, but said the Safe Box addition would help.
“But when you look at it, and you see all these people gunned down, when is enough enough?” Muschal asked.
West Ward Councilman Zach Chester, whose ward saw the city’s 20th homicide of 2013 Saturday night, said the cycle of violence should not be allowed to continue.
“I’m fed up,” Chester said. “We’re all fed up.”
Chester defended the votes of himself, Holly-Ward, Muschal, Caldwell-Wilson, and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson against applying for a federal grant that could have brought a dozen more police officers on the force. He said the $2.27 million in matching funds the city would have had to provide is too steep a price.
“The decision not to support them was a financial decision,” Chester said. “We don’t have the resources to apply for these applications.”