Police Present Crime Prevention Workshop in Shadowlawn Neighborhood

A meeting was held last night at a home on Shadowlawn Drive to discuss recent burglaries in the area as well as what the police are doing to thwart burglary attempts. Prevention tactics that homeowners can utilize themselves were also a conversation topic.

The meeting was hosted by the Sewald Family and was led by WPD Captain David Wayman and Detective Joe Costanza. Also in attendance was Fourth Ward Councilman Tom Bigosinski who helped coordinate the event.

According to Wayman, a sharp increase in burglaries occurred in November 2008 after the economy fell. From November to April, those burglaries were focused primarily on the north side of town, specifically in the Lawrence Avenue area, near Route 22.

However, since April, the burglaries in Westfield have shifted to the south side.

On a much broader scope, Westfield is only one of many towns suffering from a climbing burglary rate. Affluent towns all along the Route 22 and Route 78 corridors are being hit just as hard, said Wayman.

In response, Wayman said the WPD is shifting their attitude toward burglaries from “reactive to proactive,” participating in a joint task force that includes representatives from both Union and Somerset counties.

“The law enforcement community is working together to solve these problems,” said Wayman.

Costanza elaborated on how individuals themselves can prevent burglaries from occurring. The most affective way to thwart burglaries, according to Costanza, is maintaining a vigilant community. He stressed the importance of always reporting anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, no matter how meaningless or minute it may appear to be.

The policemen also described the psychology of the typical burglar. Most burglars, according to the policemen, will do everything possible to avoid confrontation with homeowners. Maintaining the illusion that someone is home as much as possible is also very important.

One woman asked if burglars ever take electronics such as laptops or televisions. Costanza explained that generally burglars head to the bedroom and look for jewelry, cash, or anything else that can fit in their pocket or a backpack. He joked that it would look rather conspicuous if someone was walking around a neighborhood carrying a 48” flat screen television.

The policemen suggested homeowners take advantage of two crime prevention services offered by the WPD that largely go underutilized.

If a homeowner is going away, he/she can give their information, including when they will be out of town, to the police department. A card with that information will then be placed in the patrol car that is assigned his/her district. Periodically, that patrol car will pass by the house and check for anything out of the ordinary.

Homeowners can also set up an appointment with an officer who will come to the home and complete a walk-around, pointing out any weaknesses about the house that could be exploited.

One concept that both Wayman and Costanza wanted everyone in the audience to walk away understanding is that a burglar can be anybody. It is unreasonable to assume all burglars have a generic look, and therefore it is especially important to always report suspicious activity, no matter who is doing it, what they are wearing, or even what brand car they are driving.