Kevin Larkin: ”There are a lot of different programs that seem to fall through the cracks in Hopewell Borough, and I wanted to reach out to your community”
By Aleen Crispino, Special Writer
At the invitation of Hopewell Borough’s mayor and council, Mercer County Sheriff Kevin Larkin gave a presentation Monday explaining a few of his office’s safety and crime prevention programs available to county residents.
While the main duty of the sheriff’s office is to guard the county civil and criminal courts, there are many other services the sheriff’s office can provide to individuals, schools and civic groups, from protecting children from Internet predators to tracking missing persons with Alzheimer’s, he said.
”There are a lot of different programs that seem to fall through the cracks in Hopewell Borough, and I wanted to reach out to your community,” said Sheriff Larkin, who took office in 2003 and recently was re-elected to a third three-year term.
For example, the Computer Cop Program, begun six months ago, provides a software disc for parents to install on a home computer to track their child’s Internet use.
”It tells you everything your child looked at,” said Sheriff Larkin, noting a growing number of predators attempt to contact children and teens through the Internet. It is up to the parent to decide whether to inform the child he or she is being monitored, he said.
In an anti-gang initiative, schools or parent groups can request a speaker on gang awareness to educate parents or children on the dangers and warning signs of gang involvement.
Another program, Project Lifesaver, is targeted to help locate seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s who may wander off and become disoriented as well as children with autism. After an evaluation based on medical criteria by a specially trained sheriff’s officer, the person receives, free of charge, a bracelet with a tiny transmitter that emits a radio signal that can be detected up to 7 miles away, said Sheriff Larkin.
”I personally had a family member with Alzheimer’s a long time ago, and it’s very frustrating, especially if they get car keys,” said the sheriff.
He also cited the tragic case of Hamilton resident Gordon Hector, an 81-year-old retired state police captain whose body was found in July 2007 after an intensive search, two weeks after he became lost while walking to a Little League field. Mr. Hector was not wearing a tracking bracelet.
Since Project Lifesaver began in 2005, 12 missing Mercer County residents have been found, said the sheriff, usually within minutes after a rescue begins. The first person to be saved, he said, was a woman who left her apartment wearing only a housedress in frigid temperatures and was found hiding in the bushes near her home.
Another service to seniors is the Personal Alarm Program, which provides residents with a beeper that emits a sound of 120 decibels, used to summon help if threatened by an attacker.
And, in the event of a major snowstorm, sheriff’s officers will transport a seriously ill patient, such as a person needing kidney dialysis, to the hospital, said Sheriff Larkin.
In addition to a staff of 140 sworn officers and 41 civilians, the sheriff’s office maintains a K-9 unit with dogs, which specializes in detecting narcotics or explosives and in search and rescue operations. The officers of the K-9 unit and their dogs are available to visit schools for a demonstration, said the sheriff.
Mayor Paul Anzano and Councilman Mark Samse thanked Sheriff Larkin for coming to the council meeting, and Councilman Sean Jackson invited him to the next Harvest Fair to distribute information. Residents also can obtain further information about programs offered by the sheriff’s office by visiting www.mercercounty.com.
IN AN UPDATE on the property dispute aired at council meetings in December 2008 and January 2009 between Judy Jengo of 20 Burton Ave. and neighbors Thomas and Kathleen Dallessio of 42 Washington Ave., Ms. Hovan reported the borough has spent $8,000 so far on professional fees to help them devise a plan to resolve the problem.
Ms. Jengo, accompanied by engineer Peggy Snyder of J and E Consulting, Pennington, accused the Dallessios in December of violating plans approved by the borough engineer as well as borough zoning ordinances and the state Municipal Land Use Law when they developed their property in 2003. She alleged the removal of a 10-foot hedgerow and contour berms and other changes were the cause of extensive flooding and water damage to her property, and no action was taken after several promises by the Dallessios to rectify the situation.
In a guest opinion by the Dallessios in the Dec. 24 issue of the Hopewell Valley News, the couple stated they would be “more than willing to work collaboratively with Ms. Jengo and the borough to better understand the issues raised by Ms. Jengo and find real, long-term solutions.”
CONTRACTS were awarded for a two-month, pilot water treatment study of wells No. 2 and 5, located on Burton Avenue, to Water Remediation Technology of Duluth, Ga., Layne Christensen Co. of Bridgewater, and water consultant Richard Moser of Collegeville, Pa.
The wells have been out of service since 2006 due to unacceptable levels of naturally occurring radium and uranium. Only borough well No. 4 on Louellen Street remains in operation, providing about 57 percent of the borough’s water supply.
Since the two wells were taken offline, the borough has purchased the remaining 43 percent of its supply from New Jersey American Water Co. while hoping one day to be able to return wells No. 2 and 5 to service. The bill from New Jersey American Water averages about $14,000 for one month, said Borough Administrator/Clerk Michele Hovan.
The two companies will install their own small treatment systems on wells No. 2 and 5 using two different technologies, said Councilman David Mackie, and after two months, their effectiveness and cost will be evaluated.
Three resolutions adopted Monday allocate $5,500 for the WRT system and $16,875 for Layne Christensen as well as $4,100 for Mr. Moser. The funds for the feasibility study were allocated in 2005, said Ms. Hovan.
WRT has installed comparable water treatment systems in New Jersey, said Councilman Mackie, allowing them to charge less initially than Layne Christensen, but Layne Christensen offered a “more attractive” unit cost, he said.
TWO ORDINANCES also were introduced. The first, reintroduced from January, would set the minimum and maximum salaries of the yet-to-be-hired, part-time library director at a range of $25,000 to $45,000.
The second ordinance pertains to the Open Space Advisory Committee. Since 1999, the borough has sent two delegates to the committee. They serve together with five members from Hopewell Township and two from Pennington Borough. However, if adopted, this would be the first time their participation was covered by a borough ordinance.