National Night Out 2015

August 4, 2015... what an evening!  Over three hundred Plainfield residents came together to enjoy the City of Plainfield's 29th Annual National Night Out events. The evening began with the Mayor's National Night Out Caravan. Mayor Mapp was joined by the Governing Body and other  officials who drove through all four wards of Plainfield offering greetings to the residents.

An important part of the Plainfield National Night Out event was the Community Award Ceremony where four members representing each of the four wards in Plainfield were honored.  The recipients of the community Service awards were Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Urquhart, Rose Marie Cathcart, Nancy Jordan and Carlos Ponton.  

The Governing Body also recognized the many Plainfield Block Associations for their efforts in our communities.  The evening truly belonged to Plainfield's finest. A video Tribute to Plainfield Police was shown on a large movie screen.  The Plainfield Police division was also recognized for their efforts in connecting with our community, and for their tireless and constant dedication. They place their lives on the line every day as they serve and protect our great City. 

Click Here to Watch Plainfield Police Tribute Video

A National Night Out Message

By Bernice Paglia

 
Someone asked at the Community Forum whether crime was really down.

If you want to check for yourself, you can go to the state web site, then under Departments & Agencies go to the Department of Law & Safety, Office of the Attorney General and from there to the Division of State Police and finally to Uniform Crime Reports.

Well, maybe not finally - you still have to get the Plainfield report out of a very long list of municipalities. Hint: It's on Page 512 of the report, though the page itself is numbered 511.

Anyway, once you get there, you will see categories of crime and year-over-year numbers, along with a comparison to New Jersey totals. So yes, you can see that for Plainfield Total Crime dropped by 6.1 percent, the Crime Index dropped by 8.1 percent, Violent Crime was down by 15.5 percent and Non-Violent Crime was down by 5.7 percent. So lift a drink of water, soda, juice or what former Police Chief John Driscoll used to call an "adult beverage" and make a toast to the Queen City on National Night Out!

These percentages are based on figures for Jan.-Dec. 2013 vs. Jan.-Dec. 2014. Some quarterly figures for 2015 are also posted and for the first half of 2014 compared to the first half of 2015, figures show even higher percentages of decline in crime:
 

Crime is down in general statewide, as indicated in the first chart on the list for 2013 versus 2014. However, the perception of crime tends to persist in urban centers. But you can see by the numbers that when Mayor Adrian O. Mapp says Plainfield is a safe city, he has a factual basis. That doesn't mean you can leave your house or car unlocked or otherwise ignore simple precautions when you go on vacation - there are always some criminal types looking for opportunities anywhere. Still, Plainfield appears to be doing well, and with the combined efforts of residents and police, will likely do even better in days to come. 

Paglia, B. (2015, August 4). Plaintalker II. Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://ptalker2.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-national-night-out-message.html 

Excerpt from Press Release:

Union County, NJ - The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce Plainfield as the fourth municipality to participate in the County's first Art Outside The Box public art project. Art Outside The Box is a new countywide creative placemaking project created to support Union County visual artists by offering a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals.

Visual artists are invited to submit original artwork for consideration to cover traffic control boxes at four different locations in Plainfield.

"The Freeholder Board is pleased to include Plainfield in this year's collaborative creative placemaking pilot project," said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. "By integrating visual art with public spaces, Art Outside The Box seeks to provide our communities with opportunities that celebrate creativity, enhance community identity, and encourage cultural tourism."

Park and Watchung Avenues Bridge Replacement Milestones and Road Closures

• 8/10/2015 - Close Gavett Place to begin erecting new bridges. NOTE:   North Ave. will be closed to WB traffic (eastbound only) in order to avoid U-turns due to the closure of Gavett Place.