MARLBORO — A resident whose home was recently burglarized came to the Sept. 20 Township Council meeting to ask Marlboro officials to include members of the public in the fight against crime.
Wendy Berk said she entered her home on the evening of Sept. 7 and found that burglars had broken in through the rear kitchen window. The perpetrators stole jewelry, some of which belonged to Berk’s late husband.
Berk asserted that if municipal officials and police had better informed residents about recent burglaries, the incident could have been avoided.
“Had I known there were burglaries in town, had I known that people were coming in through the back, I would have perhaps been more cautious,” she said. “… This is something that could have been prevented and I would be remiss as a citizen of this town if I did not do my best to spread the word, so that I can prevent this from happening to the next family.”
Berk said she received phone calls from the township regarding the recent Marlboro Day community celebration, but nothing about burglaries that had occurred earlier in the summer. She asked why officials did not reach out to residents to inform them of the recent spate of burglaries.
She said she was too busy to read recent media accounts about Marlboro burglaries.
Berk said her home is equipped with a security system, but she said she did not activate the system because she was only going to be out of the house for a short period of time and did not know it was necessary.
“Our life is not going to be the same again and I am here to speak up for the other Marlboro residents, to say ‘please, help keep us safe,’ ” Berk added.
Mayor Jonathan Hornik, who said he felt for Berk and her teenage child, said police did not believe the number of burglaries warranted a mass phone call to residents. Instead, Hornik said, officials sent an email notification about the burglaries to residents who have signed up to receive those messages.
Police Capt. Steve Mennona said the number of burglaries that have occurred in 2012 is on par with recent years. He said police are investigating the incidents and are committed to maintaining a high level of visibility in residential neighborhoods.
Hornik said police will assist any resident who wishes to create a neighborhood watch group. Some residents, who will wear a uniform, have volunteered to drive through neighborhoods to look for suspicious activity.
“We hope the visual presence of another car in a neighborhood, where one of our police officers may not be able to get to at that time on a patrol basis, will deter crime,” the mayor said.
Councilman Frank LaRocca urged residents to get involved with such programs, adding that information and awareness is “gold.”
“Even if we stop one burglary, that’s somebody’s life that remains intact,” LaRocca said.