The Administrations claim that more cops are needed needs to be looked at critically. The Police Deaprtment like the Fire Department and other city Departments is also a place for patronage. 1000 members is, I think, about 200 more than the Department had under Scundler. Schundler infuriated the cops by:
1. Civilianization- that is having non union civilians do jobs that don't require a badge and gun, e.g. processing criminal records.
2. Community policiing, that is getting cops out on the beat/on the street.
3. Invigorating the chain of command. There was an effort to get superviosrs to act like supervisors rather than like fellow union members. Supervisors who did not step up to the plate and, for instance, discipline negligent officers were themselves liable to be disciplined- a shocking wake up at the time.
4. Merit in promotions. A measure of merit beyond the civil service exam for which anyone can cram was introduced. Thus for the first time in the Department's hisotry, the Rule of Three was used to by pass unacceptable promotional candidates.

In many ways, the JCPD is a great organization that functions remarkably well given these institutional and historical accidents that encourage disfunction. WIth the right leadership, the Department can easily regain its equilibrium. Nalbach by the way is an excellent cop.

Another issue that mitigates against police reponsiveness is the fact that the cops all live out of town. The PBA like the Firemen's Union and, of course, the teachers' union have all made certain that they alone of municipal workers cannot by law be forced to live here. The result is a disdain for those who remain. Many of them look on us as chumps too stupid not to have moved to Secaucus or Toms River.

And since taxes is an issue here, the Fire Department is bloated and should be reduced. I thing the Fire together with police take up like half the muncipal budget.

The writer on this thread who described the currrent situation as Jersey City's Dinkens era is, I think, on target.

However, in addition to policing, the administration needs to address quality of life issues. It was definitively established by Wilson in his Broken Window study that a laissez faire attitide to quality of life issues, e.g. trash, public urination, homeless, lead to petty crime (street sales of CDS), to big crime murder and mahem). Things went down hill in this area under Cunningham. The excuse I heard was that he had focused on previously neglected neighborhoods and that focus had flushed some of the problems in to downtown. I doubt that. I just think it was an unresponsive administration that did not buy the "Broken window approach" or the idea that the reform of the JCPD had to continue.

I posted a question about the Zillow valuation and the house I am in contract to buy (329 Pacific). I got one response that indicated the person had seen the house and that the renovations the current owner had done are not only substandard but are "scary" or words to that effect. Anyone else take a look at this house which is being sold by owner and have any rebuttal to this or echo to it? The house is a mess but in negotiating the price the sufficiency of the new wiring and plumbing was key to me. Thanks for any input.

What are you talking about, "As bad as the Republicans?" The Schundler adminsitration over 10 years as the only republican administration in the past 100 years was also viretually the only adminsitration that had no high level indictments. Crime went down, taxes stayed down, educational choice was tried (with partial success- yes charters, no vouchers).

Perhaps its regretable that the Republicans didn't try to build a machine. Instead, for the most part, City government was run professionally. Yea, there was some cronyism, but small potatoes compared to the norm.
But if they build a machine, then they would be corrup- and yes it does happen to Republicans as in Nassau County NY, and, to some extent, it does in the NJ State Organization. But, here locally, I have not seen it.

And isn't there a pattern here? Just as republicans, albeit pragmatic ones have steadied the bid apple, so here in Jersey City, they have made reform inroads.