By: Fariha Tamboli and Rafeea Tamboli

Many students compare living in West Windsor and Plainsboro to living in a bubble.  With Blue-Ribbon schools and great community centers, this area has earned itself a notable reputation: safe and secure.  And, for the most part, this reputation holds true.  However, every town in America witnesses its fair share of crime, and WW-P is no different.  With the recent child luring cases and attempted burglaries, the town’s various departments teamed together to restore safety and security to WW-P.

On September 30, 2016, the Plainsboro Police Department, in conjunction with Plainsboro’s Human Relations Council, hosted an interactive community program to address the rising security concerns of the residents.  Daniel Kanaley, a detective for the Plainsboro Police Department, identifies the importance of communicating with community members.  “The citizens are our eyes around the community and we rely heavily on them…we need to continue to stay in contact and maintain a working relationship with each other,” said Kanaley.

Shikha Rastogi, a member of the Human Relations Council (HRC), also emphasized the need for a strong line connecting the police to the people.  “The HRC believes in the importance of a community interaction program to help develop amicable relations between [residents] and the police,” Rastogi said.  The goal of this program was to help the HRC understand the community’s concerns and adequately address them by creating programs, just as it has done with drunk driving.  The police department also wished to establish a stronger relationship between the citizens and the police after national tensions and controversies have put those connections to the test.

In the interactive event, Kanaley, along with his colleagues Sergeant Joseph Jankowski and Police Corporal Martin McElrath, stressed the necessity of implementing a home security inspection program.  “[The program] will consist of citizens making appointments with a Plainsboro Police Detective who will inspect your home and make suggestions on how to keep safe from burglaries and other crimes,” Kanaley said.  Though the home security inspection program has not yet been put in action, denizens of Plainsboro can look forward to its implementation.

The police department also actively reminds residents to take safety precautions despite the image of security in West Windsor-Plainsboro.  “If you see something suspicious, call [the police] immediately so we can make contact or investigate as needed.  It is important not to wait to make a phone call to the police,” said Kanaley.

Decreasing community concerns, the Interactive Program was a success.  “The police are there for our protection.  They put themselves in harm’s way so that we can lead a happy life,” said Rastogi.

To learn more about the interactive community program, visit http://www.plainsboronj.com.