The Bergenfield
Police Department is releasing this information to keep our residents informed
of suspicious incidents that were reported to us as “lurings” and have parents
and children concerned for their safety. We want our residents to know that
every incident is thoroughly investigated and taken seriously. I refer to these
incidents as “suspicious” because the majority reported do not have the
elements of the offense of Luring (NJSA 2C:13-6).
See the link below for
additional legal information.
If the elements
are not present as reported by the complainant, victim or witness, BPD officers
will still investigate and turn the matter over to the detective bureau for
follow up. Many cases have been resolved, whereby the matter was not a luring
incident, but rather a motorist attempting to ask directions or in some cases,
the report was fabricated by the juvenile victim/complainant. I emphasize that
every case is fully investigated and when facts of the case meet the elements
of the offense, the detectives waste no time in getting the information out via
a media release and using our social media communication tools.
Detectives also contact school authorities in an effort to inform as many people as possible and allow school officials to also disseminate information about the incident or incidents. In some cases that are suspicious and the
motive is unknown, notifications will still be sent out seeking information so the
matter can be properly investigated. Detectives also work in conjunction with
surrounding police agencies and the Prosecutor’s Office to compare cases
looking for any similarities.
At this time, there have been cases reported in Bergen County, but there are no similarities in person or vehicle
descriptions. Even though no similarities exist yet, the BPD requests residents
to remain vigilant in their neighborhoods and when driving about the borough. If
you see something suspicious or your child reports something suspicious, please
contact the BPD to report it. We will investigate as I stated above. The police
department does not want to alarm the community that a “child lurer” is about
when no facts exist or can be corroborated. We do want people to trust that we
will inform them when suspicious incidents occur and we will be quick to
release information when an incident is confirmed.
Below is great
information as taken from a recent NIXLE alert sent by our neighboring township,
Teaneck. I share these bullets with you as they are great tips to teach and
follow:
- Parents
are also urged to speak to their children about their safety whether they are
in a vehicle or on foot.
- Teach
your child, when s/he is outside, to always walk with at least one other
person. Groups of more than two are better.
- When your child is outside the house, do not
allow him or her to wear clothing or a backpack or other articles with his/her
name visible on it. Children are more likely to trust someone who calls them by
name.
- Teach
your child to stay more than an adult arm’s length away from any car that is
occupied by a person trying to talk to him/her, so that they cannot be reached
by the person inside the car.
- Teach
your child if someone encourages him or her to get into a car, to help find a
lost pet, or to leave with them for any reason, s/he should yell “NO” as loudly
as possible and run to the closest adult whom they know and trust. Yelling
"No," also called the POWER NO, indicates your child has been
prepared for the situation.
- Teach
your child to run in the opposite direction from the one the car is facing. It
is harder to drive in reverse than straight ahead.
- Teach
your child their full name, address and if, there is one, the “best” phone
number (including area code) to call in case of an emergency. If you make it
into a song, younger children may be more likely to remember it. If no phone
number is reliable, teach your child to call 911 for help.
- Teach
your older child to pay attention to the color and make of the vehicle and/or
its license information (state and number), the physical characteristics of the
person(s), and where s/he was when approached. Suggest that this information be
written down as soon as it can be done safely.
- Remind
your child to call 911 to report any attempted luring.
- Make
a daily note of the clothing your child is wearing just in case you need to
provide that information later. Also keep a current school picture, or other
recent photograph of your child available.
"The police are the public and the public are the police; the
police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time
attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of
community welfare and existence."
- Robert Peel
Thank you for being part of the efforts to keep our community
safe. Be a crime stopper and report crimes and suspicious activity.
Please note, Tri-Community Crime Stoppers is now on Facebook.
You can also find BPD on Twitter, Facebook and receive
notifications from us by signing up for Nixle.
Sincerely,
Michael T. Carr
Chief of Police
