Quote:

Don't forget that it is an election year. That park should be a dog-run. The plethura of dogs has kept Hamilton Park safe for years now.

If ever a 'park' needed to be replaced by a yuppie condo building, that is the spot.

I've lived on wayne for 4 months now, and don't think its a bad block. but! its hard to say its good, when you have that kind of bust and activity going on. From where I used to live (mcginley sq) its still light years better.

Seems like they are cracking down on that park, though..right after I moved in I read about other recent busts at that park. So two big busts within about 5 months tells me the cops have their eye on that part of the block.

What about a camera? Put a camera on the park 24/7. I have heard other cities have success with this.

There's a young couple trying to sell their house on that block. The per square foot pricing is well below what they could get for a worse home one block south on Mercer. The reason is because everyone knows what a bad block that is.

I agree that icechute's cynical take is probably the correct one. The police turn a blind eye to that block most of the time. I have no idea why. Downtown would be hugely improved if you could just clean up that one block, it's so simple...

The optimist in me says "Very good news".

The pessimist in me says, "Easy police target with dependably good results, aka: "Election Year Crackdown".

When the article itself says what we all already know; "Downtown park known for drug dealing", one has to ask what is different now versus the past 30 years other than a mayor whose town has recently been a blaze of gunfire and murder needing something positive talk about?

And just in time for his State of the City address.

Kudos to the JCPD. I think having a cop at Wayne St. 24/7 would be great but is unrealistic in the long run. I do think that Wayne St. should be a regular stop throughout the day and night for the JCPD though. There is obviously a recurring problem there and it should be addressed. Drug use is what fuels the majority of crime in JC. You can't stop the demand but you can disrupt the supply.

They made a bust at the same park last fall and vowed to up the police presence. That lasted for a few weeks and then the visivble presence seemed to go away. Once the cruiser was no longer parked out in front of that park, the hooligan factor started to creep up again.

I'm always happy when dealers get arrested, but I don't think there's any real change happening. Everyone knows that block/park are a problem every day. Seems to me the JC Police should just man that street 24/7 and if the politicians are smart they'd close off that park. I don't see much in the way of kiddie play going on ever and VVP is a block away...

This is excellent news. The thugs and dealers who operate in this park with complete impunity need to be stopped and made an example of.

JCPD + 1
I am glad that they got these scumbags. I can only imagine what that man will find on his computer. I wish they could put them in jail and throw away the key.

The amount of drugs in JC, the cops should be making busts everyday - At least some cops are diligent !

Sweet! Go team!

And I love that the guy got his stolen computer back. Kinda creepy to get it back after what it's been through (dirty drug dealing computer), but awesome just the same.

Good Work JCPD!

Cops: 100 bags of heroin seized during drug bust near Downtown Jersey City park
by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Tuesday February 17, 2009, 5:05 PM

Jersey City police doing surveillance last night at a Downtown park known for drug dealing arrested three men and a woman, seized 100 bags of suspected heroin and recovered property taken during a burglary to a car, police said today.

Officers doing surveillance at Angel Ramos Park at Wayne and Barrow streets spotted 44-year-old Orlando Garcia and 45-year-old Ruth Turner "hanging out" in front of a house and recognized them from previous drug arrests, reports said.

They watched as Garcia and another man walked to a car on Monmouth street occupied by 32-year-old Carlos Romero and 33-year-old Hector I. Figueroa, reports said.

Garcia got into the back seat and police closed in on the vehicle after seeing Romero take an object out of the glove compartment and hand it to Garcia, reports said.

Police converged on them and found a paper bag containing 100 glassine bags of suspected heroin in the glove compartment, reports said.

Romero, of Van Wagenen Avenue, was arrested on Monmouth Street, at 7 p.m. and charged with receiving stolen property and multiple drug counts including possession of heroin with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, reports said.

Garcia, of Montgomery Street, was charged with conspiracy to commit a drug offense, and both Figueroa, of Fourth Street, and Turner, of Wayne Street, were charged with wandering to commit a drug offense, reports said.

A stolen laptop computer found in the back seat was returned to its 53-year-old Bright Street owner, reports said, adding that it stolen from his BMW on Feb. 8 while parked at the A&P on 18th Street in Jersey City.

The vehicle had fictitious license plates and it was impounded, reports said, adding that relevant summons would be issued to Romero.

"Police have been targeting the area and making multiple arrests pertaining to narcotics and the department will not stop until the drug dealers are cleared out," Police Director Sam Jefferson said.