Just a week after a local activist announced the start of his own neighborhood watch program in Elmwood Park, the village and police department have announced they’re backing a different group.
At the May 4 Elmwood Park Village Board meeting, Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano said Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch is the “recognized organization” in Elmwood Park.
“Any other organization, we are happy to have them work with us,” he said.
On April 28, Pasquale Martorana officially introduced himself and his Elmwood Park Village Voice Neighborhood Watch program during a meeting held at the Elmwood Park Public Library.
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Martorana’s organization has no ties to the village-backed Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch organization, except that both organizations say they want to deter crime in the village.
At the May 4 Village Board meeting, Trustee Anthony Del Santo said that he and the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Civic Organization (EPNCO) had been working on forming a Neighborhood Watch organization since September 2014.
Del Santo, who was president of EPNCO at that time but is now simply a member, said during that month’s EPNCO meeting, the EPNCO board and its members were in favor of forming this kind of organization in the village.
“In September, it was announced that there would be a Neighborhood Watch program with participation from the village and the Police Department,” he said.
He said since that time, he has been researching other Neighborhood Watch organizations and working with the village and Police Department on how the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch organization would operate.
Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe said Del Santo is chairman of the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch.
The Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch is planning their first official meeting June 9 at the Elmwood Park Public Library.
The village would be broken up to four areas under the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Watch’s plan, which corresponds to the beats the Police Department currently oversees. For each area, a resident will be recruited as a captain; People from as many blocks as possible will also be recruited as block coordinators.
“Each area will have a captain from the Neighborhood Watch and enlist members in those area,” he said.
Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said there will now be a dedicated auxiliary police officer patrolling each of the four parts of the village during the week and along Fullerton Avenue when Elmwood Park High School and Elmwood Elementary School dismiss.
“They will watch those areas with a trained eye and they will have a trained response,” Fagiano said.
Volpe said the organization aims to increase communication with residents and address their concerns. Each resident will be given a sign with the Neighborhood Watch’s name on it and “We Call Police” in bold letters that they can put in the window of their home if they so chose.
On the back of the sign, there is a list of useful phone numbers and a list of unusual and suspicious things to look out for, as well as the email address [email protected] for residents to report any activities they believe the village or police department needs to address.
“From that, the deputy chief will make the appropriate response,” Fagiano said.
Fagiano urged residents that if they see something that needs immediate attention, like some kind of criminal activity, don’t use the email — call the police.
“Don’t be afraid to dial 911,” he said.
A phone tree will also be established to inform residents involved in he village’s neighborhood watch organization to inform others in the neighborhood.
When asked if the village’s neighborhood watch organization was a reaction to Martorana’s neighborhood watch group, Del Santo said no.
“This has the cooperation of the village and is registered with the National Sheriff’s Association,” he said. “We’re with the village and the police and that’s the difference.”
Martorana said he had reached out to village and police to attend his first meeting, but said there was no response. Village officials and police said they received no such invitation.
Martorana said he welcomes the village, police and EPNCO’s Neighborhood Watch, but says his organization will be more independent.
“The residents of this community should have a transparent neighborhood watch … our neighborhood watch is made up of concerned residents and their voices, and EPNCO and their neighborhood watch represents elected officials,” he said. “My neighborhood watch is going to be more transparent, but they are going to say everything is under investigation.”
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He said in the end, time will tell whose organization is the most successful.
“Let’s see who does the best job,” he said. “The more signs in the windows the better. I want to see a sign in Skip Saviano’s window and every trustee’s window saying ‘neighborhood watch.'”
As for the EPNCO’s group, Del Santo said anyone is welcome at their next meeting. With their backing, residents who have concerns regarding crime or safety issues should see a difference, he said.
“We can get the results the residents want,” he said. “We have the resources to address the issues.”