Security Measures & Public Safety
Public safety is a priority in all urban municipalities, and Jersey City is no exception. The CASID continues to advocate for a proactive approach towards public safety and security on Central Avenue and throughout Jersey City.
The Central Avenue shopping district is a vibrant 3/4-mile business corridor that attracts several thousand visitors each day. The high level of pedestrian traffic in our community may attract the occasional bandit, but it also attracts the attention of the Jersey City Police Department. One or two Officers walking the beat are typically sufficient to deter crime, provided that the officers make their presence known by rationally addressing quality of life issues and interacting with people on the street. In doing so, they increase their visibility and become aware of who belongs and doesn’t belong in the district, thus instilling a sense of safety for local residents and business patrons. Through the years, this proactive approach towards policing has proven most effective for Jersey City.
Read on to learn more about how the active presence of the North District Police Station (pictured above), the state-of-the-art Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) program, and informal community policing on Central Avenue help to maintain a safe main street environment.
Attention Residents & Local Business Owners:
If you observe a crime taking place or know of a threat to public safety, call 911 (emergency) or the JCPD Dispatch room (201) 547-5477 (non-emergency). After you call, be sure to write down the time, the dispatcher’s identification number, the nature of the incident, and the time it took to get a police response for future reference. The CASID appreciates your support of the JCPD’s efforts to make Jersey City safer.
Jersey City Police Department
The mission of the Jersey City Police Department (JCPD) is to work in partnership with fellow Jersey City citizens to enhance the quality of life in our City, to be open and sensitive to the public’s needs regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, to dedicate themselves continually to reassess their methods and technology to proactively reduce criminal activity and to treat all people with the highest degree of respect and dignity.
The CASID has an ongoing partnership with the JCPD and fully supports its mission to proactively reduce criminal activity and enhance the quality of life for everyone in Jersey City. The CASID uses its relationship with the JCPD to report public safety concerns and relay complaints and commendations received from local residents, shoppers and business people citywide.
Located at 282 Central Avenue, the North District Police Station allows the officers of the North District to respond quickly to issues in the active Central Avenue business district and throughout the Heights. The visibility of the station and the officers who work there deters crime in the area, and the station’s central location makes it very accessible to the community. The station building itself is a historic structure that adds to the distinction of the Central Avenue streetscape. The added strain that the station places on parking along Central Avenue is a small price to pay for an accessible, friendly police presence in the Heights’ busy business district.
| JCPD Phone Numbers | |
| Emergency | 911 |
| Dispatch Room | (201) 547-5477 |
| North District Police Station, Commander Phil Zacche | (201) 547-5350 |
| North District Community Relations Officer, David Calton | (201) 547-5743 |
| Accident Reports | (201) 547-5313 |
| Car Pound | (201) 333-6336 |
| Internal Affairs | (201) 547-5472 |
| Narcotics Squad | (201) 547-5391 |
| Police Recruitment | (201) 547-4920 |
| Special Investigations Unit | (201) 547-4700 |
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Program
Another security tool available to both the JCPD and the business districts of Jersey City is the city’s CCTV system. The city’s 70+ digital CCTV cameras, 13 of which are stationed along Central Avenue, are linked to a central location where they are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CCTV personnel notify emergency services when they observe incidents requiring intervention, and the CCTV office houses video archives that can be searched during criminal and civil investigations. The CCTV cameras are also linked to the city’s Emergency Operations Center to improve emergency response time and effectiveness.
The CCTV cameras have been funded through the State of New Jersey’s Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program, administered locally by the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation. This means that a portion of the sales tax collected at participating businesses on Central Avenue and in other UEZs throughout the city comes back to our community in the form of better resources for fighting crime and promoting public safety. Several CASID Members were instrumental in bringing this system to Jersey City and Central Avenue.
While the CCTV program does not reduce the need for proactive, on-the-ground policing by the JCPD, it still provides important supplemental surveillance that the police can use to fight crime more effectively. To learn more about the program or seek its assistance or contact the CCTV Manager at (201) 547-4759.
Community Policing
CASID member businesses and property owners, Street Maintenance Operation workers, and members of local neighborhood groups also act as “eyes on the street” to deter, observe and report incidents of crime. These stakeholders also encourage public safety on a broader scale by calling for more police presence in areas where crime tends to occur.
Studies have shown that this type of community policing and activism is encouraged by the presence of a busy, well-functioning business district that encourages people to put down roots and take ownership of their community. In this sense, all of the work that the CASID does to move Central Avenue forward, from marketing to capital improvements, serves to make the area safer.