What a mistake Michelle Massey is. She will be just another bobble head.

We are so safe that even Chief Large & In Charge doesn't live here.

City Hall puts an announcement in the JJ about Captain's meetings. HAHAHA! These meetings have been taking place for at least 20 years they didn't start yesterday.

The City is so safe that now they are reaching out to the Guardian Angels. The same Guardian Angels they told the city was fine & didn't need the Angels help.

Vote these clowns out in 2013 or suffer.

Bar keep! Another round!

What a Jack Koff, Healy is - With elections looming he pulls the crime is an issue crap and will act on the cry of residents - We have been 'crying' for more police and their presence in the community for the past 10 years, yet nothing had happened under his administration.

To you Mr Healy, go and get drunk and let someone else that isn't inept have a go at running the city - You are a convicted person that should place your tail between your legs and fccck ouf.

Coming soon: More street cops, town meetings
Mayor responds to critics? complaints about crime

by E. Assata Wright
Reporter staff writer - Feb 19, 2012

In response to weeks of residents? criticism about crime in the city, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy has asked that uniformed police officers be redeployed to areas of the city that are most in need of police presence. He also was expected to schedule several public meetings about public safety.

The police changes, announced Thursday during Healy?s State of the City Address, are a response to complaints from residents that there are too few cops on the streets to fight and deter crime. Healy also scheduled a press conference Friday to announce additional changes.

Healy was expected on Friday to detail plans to consolidate the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) and Fire Department into a unified Department of Public Safety.

Healy: More cops on the way

As residents have complained about crime over the last three months, the mayor has largely remained silent on the issue, other than to reiterate his oft-repeated comment that statistics show that crime is actually going down in the city. Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey has also said that residents? views are skewed by media reports of high-profile crimes, which may not tell the full picture.

Thursday, Healy used his State of the City Address to promise that more officers will be hired and put on patrol.

?Jersey City has been a leader amongst the largest cities in New Jersey in reducing crime and creating sensible gun legislation,? Healy said.

He also blasted critics.

?Many of you have heard some people say that crime is on the increase in Jersey City, despite the crime statistics certified by the state police and the FBI that prove the opposite,? he said. ?Those individuals who fear monger, for whatever reason, are doing a great disservice not only to the city?but to its people, and ultimately to themselves.?

Healy said that during his tenure, crime in the city has dropped 33 percent overall. This includes a 25 percent drop in murders alone from 2010 to 2011, he said.

But residents have recently questioned whether some nonviolent crimes are underreported, meaning they do not show up in official crime statistics. Others have also complained that there isn?t enough of a police presence on the streets to fight crime, possibly because the size of the JCPD has been cut.

Conceding that the JCPD has lost a number of police officers in recent years due to retirements and attrition, and could lose more this year, Healy said the city is working to secure state and federal funding to hire more officers. ?But should grant money fail to materialize,? he said, ?I am committed to finding the funds within our budget to hire more officers.?

The JCPD currently has about 802 uniformed officers, approximately 98 fewer cops than two years ago. Nearly 100 officers are eligible to retire by November, with another 85 eligible for retirement by July 2013.

The administration will introduce the 2012 municipal budget to the City Council this week. Many residents have asked that the JCPD be given more resources in the 2012 budget to effectively fight crime.

?Over the next several weeks, at my direction, Chief Comey will conduct a staffing report to determine if the special units that were formed several years ago when we were at a peak in regard to the number of officers is still viable, or whether those units should be modified or disbanded,? he said.

Failure to connect?

Members of the City Council who attended the State of the City Address had mixed reactions to Healy?s comments on crime.

?I was actually pleased with the mayor?s comments with regard to crime,? said City Councilwoman Michele Massey, who represents Ward F, a ward that has been hard-hit by violent crimes in recent years. ?I?m glad it wasn?t just about the stats. He actually addressed residents? concerns and is prepared to do some things to get more police on the streets, which is what residents have been asking for. Reconfiguring the various special units will make a major difference.?

In response to the concerns of residents, the City Council has formed a subcommittee on crime that has started meeting with Chief Comey and members of the Healy administration.

But At-Large council members Viola Richardson and Rolando Lavarro believe Healy failed to appreciate the impact crime has on the lives of residents.

?He talked a lot about statistics without really acknowledging the problem, which is that many residents do not feel safe, no matter what the statistics say,? commented Richardson. ?It was a bit insulting. He kept saying, ?Everything is all well and good.? But for many people, it isn?t.?

Richardson and Lavarro agreed that the mayor didn?t grasp the fear that many residents are living with in their communities.

?I was disappointed to hear him say that residents who are concerned about crime are ?fear mongering,? ? said Lavarro. ?I think it could be hard to make progress together if we don?t come from the same starting point and begin to acknowledge that there is a problem with crime in the city.?