Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-04
RURAL PATROL
ACTION TAKEN
Stricken Answers Letter OF
State Chamber of Com
merce Regarding CoIonia.
APPEAL FOR PROTECTION
PatroIIing Vicinity is Duty oi
Municipality, Says Prose.
cutor Stricken.

MunIClpalIty, says Pr0Se-
Cutor Stricken.
The following letter has been SEN
by PROSECUTOR Joseph Z. Stricken in
regard to a patrol in the Colonia sec.
tion of Woodbridge:
New Jersey State Chamber of
Commerce,
Executive Office,
Clinton Building, Newark.
Tel. Market 107.
October 27th, 1920.
"Mr. Joseph f. Stricken,
New Brunswick.
Dear Mr.. Stricker:-An appeal
has been received by the state cham
Der for information as to the possible
way to secure adequate policing of
the property of Mercy Committee
located on the Co1onia hospital
grounds in the house that was used
in connection with the soldiers ath-
letic field. Practically every article
down to the hardware and plumbing
has beeT stripped from the house
and the balance has been sold to
keep it from being stolen.
1t is understood that the police
of Woodbridge, Railway, Plainfield
and perhaps other communities have
been requested to patrol the prop
erty. They claim it is not their
business to look after the policing
of Iselin and Colonia..
This is only one of a series of
complaints which the state chamber
has been receiving throughout the
state. l don't know why the COM
plant should come to this Office un-
less it is because the state chamber
has been active in trying to secure
the establishment of state police by
legislative act to provide adequate
police protection for the rural Sec
tions.
IAN opinion from you regarding
the responsibility of the prosecutors
office in connection with this case of
robbery will be much appreciated.
Sincerely yours,
H. HEYDON,
Secretary"
II. Heydon, Esq,
"Secy. N. J. State Chamber of
Commerce,
Newark, N. j.
Dear Sir
I'm reply to your favor of October
9th, permit me to say. it is as muci
the duty of the municipality to pa
troll the precincts within which tn,
property of the Mercy Committee ii
located as 1t is to maintain schoo
system. In fact the patroling of &
com munity is the more important
your statement that the Woedbridg,
authorities have declined to furnish
police profession for any territor,
situate within the limits of theil
township. l regret however, that {
number of rural municipalities O.
this county have seen fit to ignore
their duty to furnish police protec
tion to their citizens because of tn,
expense this service involves. This, o.
course, is the lowest kind of parsi
mony.
"I am of the opinion that the mum.
ber of major crimes has in the recen
past been encouraged to an alarming
degree by the fact that rural district.
are without any police protection
whatsoever. During the last three
months have made my views known
through the public press in this
county in the hope that the offending
communities would wake up to &
realization of their sworn duty anC
furnish police protection not only Il
passing through as well.
1T is only few days ago mar
was convicted in this county of mur
der in the first degree and sentenced
to life imprisonment for the killing
of two highly respected school teach
ers, the offense having been commit
ted while the criminal was under the
influence of liquor, and who had beer
permitted to wander about one o
our unpatrolled rural communitie:
armed to the teeth for three or fou
hours prior to the murder. 1t is SAFE
to say that had there been an office
on duty in the vicinity, the murderer
would have been disarmed and takeI
into custody before committing thu
homicide. / have also observed tha
most of the holdups committed OF
the public highways in this count!
have taken place in municipalitie
which have no police protection. Thi
in my Judgment could be done ava,
with If a single officer mounted eithel
on horseback or motorcycle were EN-
ployed, as in my opinion his mere
presence would discourage criminals
from operating in these rural local
tiles. The municipalities referred t.
through their governing bodies have
refused and neglected to provide an!
sort of police protection but insteat
have maintained policy of parsi
mony. They seem to take the fan
tastic view that the Prosecutor will
a staff of three detectives must pa
troll their precincts. which of course
is not only impossible but unfair Il
the taxpayers of the County whom i
is sought to burden with this ex
pense, as well as unsafe to the resi-
dents of thee communities which il
these days OF unrest and by their pc
nurious attitude invite and encourag'
the commission of crime.
yours very truly.
"JOS. F.. STRICKER
Prosecutor of the Pleas.