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Police Address Drug Problem in Freehold Borough, Ask for Help
In response to a poll here on Freehold.InJersey.com, Freehold Borough Police Chief Mitch Roth acknowledged the drug problem in the Borough and asked FinJ readers to help authorities remain vigilant in their reporting issues.
Following the residential coke-bust that hit our homepage last week, we ran a poll asking users whether they thought the Borough had a drug problem. The results were:
Yes: 47 votes
No: 9 votes
Unsure: 5 votes
Total: 61 votes
"Many more people than not felt we have a problem here in the Borough," said Police Chief Mitch Roth when asked for comment. "And it's not just a Borough problem, it's a national one, but we're trying to be proactive about it."
The Borough is struggling with limited resources, Roth said, including a lack of manpower to investigate drug tips.
"We're down four men and we have some injuries, so we have to focus our deployment on emergency services," he said.
However, Roth pointed out that with the assistance of county, state, and federal agencies, they've been able to use some under cover vehicles, do some investigations, and act on information--like the drug-bust in the news last week.
"In 2010, we'll be able to realign some personnel and get another detective on the staff, so we'll be able to receive and act on more information," he said.
In the meantime, Roth encouraged people to report any information they might have, including reporting problem areas and crimes to our Fixer Upper map right here on the site.
"I think that's a great thing," Roth said. "And now that I'm aware this is out there, I can watch what people are reporting."
Freehold.InJersey readers can use the Fixer Upper map to report locations where they think or know drugs are being sold. The service also lets users upload photos of crimes or problematic areas to illustrate their reports. Now that the Police Department says they'll be watching, this interactive map can act as a great resource fighting the drug problem here in town.
HRwallace, 
mikerosseel, 
Lisa S and 4 others are discussing.
notallofus 2:07 pm on December 17, 2009 Permalink |
Hmmmm…I have a question….Do people think drugs or Illegal immigration is a bigger problem here in freehold? And which is a greater threat to what was once a nice small town?
Brian Sullivan 4:37 pm on December 17, 2009 Permalink |
This is a good article that touches upon many good topics of concern.
First thing I have to start with, Chief Roth is a very easy person to talk to. I have found him to be very professional, accessible, and always willing to take the time to talk. That is very reflective of the police department which is staffed with good cops who care about the town. I always encourage people to support the police any time they can.
As far as the question, “is there a drug problem?” that is a very broad question. A person would be hard pressed to find any town, including affluent ones, that do not have a problem.
The bigger question is how bad is the drug problem in Freehold Borough? I have seen drug dealing out in the open on the streets. I would love to know what the nine voters who denied a problem were thinking. AS it is, according the New Jersey State Police statistics, Freehold Borough has the third highest major crime rate in the county. (Major crime meaning that candy bar theft is not counted. By comparison, the township may have a higher number over all when including small candy bar crimes.)
We also have an issue with a gang presence. How big is the gang problem in this town? I would love to know. These things are often not discussed enough and need to be. I have run into way too many people who prefer rose colored glasses and refuse to look our problems in the eye. I know our police do it every day and they are fighting tooth and nail to deal with a variety of problems. We cannot solve any of our problems unless we are willing to be open, honest, and look them in the eye.
The Freehold Police have also been doing a great job with community outreach and education. I hope this continues and we can have open discussions about the problems with gangs, drugs, crime, as well as what the public needs to look for and report. maybe its time to revive the community watch programs?
Ben 8:31 pm on December 17, 2009 Permalink |
This is great.
Sounds like you have a great Police Chief.
We have a great Chief in New Haven as well.
Here’s an issue reported on SeeClickFix where two dealers were arrested based on tips from the site:
http://seeclickfix.com/issues/3998
The press release from the NHPD is on the post as well.
Colleen Curry 12:25 pm on December 18, 2009 Permalink |
Wow Ben, very cool.
Readers, Ben is the guy responsible for bringing us this great tool on the site. Click over to that link and see how effective the Fixer Upper Map can be. Thanks, Ben!
notallofus 11:56 am on December 18, 2009 Permalink |
I would just like to add that of course drugs are a problem, not only locally, but nationally like the chief said. But comparing freehold to the surrounding towns, such as howell, the twnshp, manalapn….we DO NOT have as big as problem as they do in my opinion. Drugs have always been bigger in the rest of the district. Which brings me to gangs…I went to the boro, grew up in freehold, and live in freehold. The only gangs I know of are ILLEGAL MEXICAN gangs, which make there money on drugs. That is why I feel illegal immigration is our biggest problem.
notallofus 4:33 pm on December 18, 2009 Permalink |
Just curious why all my comments have not been posted? thanks
Lisa S 8:20 pm on December 18, 2009 Permalink |
Notallofus, you actually have knowledge of Mexican gangs? Did you tell the police?
mikerosseel 7:37 am on December 19, 2009 Permalink |
I agree with notallofus, we do have a drug issue in freehold but it isnt as bad as say manalapan or howell! Freehold has come along way on the fight against drugs, and we keep the fight going.
I think a much bigger issue is gangs. The gangs that are scary in this town as the mexican gangs. I work in the construction industry and some of the guys have explained to me that freehold is the center, there are very powerful mexicans here in town. Im sure they have there hand in drugs or prostitution. That is a huge concern for me, what can we do with that issue in Freehold?
HRwallace 11:40 pm on January 5, 2010 Permalink |
mike, you actually have knowledge of Mexican gangs and you know they have there hand in drugs or prostitution, is this first hand or are you you posting information from a freind of a friend?
drive down freeholds center street in broad daylight in the middle of the day and tell us what your see.
after Roth points out that he recruited the assistance of county, state, and federal agencies it is because manalapan or howell has bad drug problem?
This is highly confused reasoning, please explain.