Stop with the vigilantism, N.J. police chief warns

The police chief is insisting that residents let law enforcement do their jobs and refrain from taking matters into their own hands to combat crime and drugs in the borough.

PITMAN -- The borough's police chief is insisting that residents let law enforcement do their jobs and refrain from taking matters into their own hands to combat crime and drugs in the community.

Chief Robert ZimmermanFile photo 

While Police Chief Robert Zimmerman declined to mention any specific instances of vigilantism in the borough -- giving a tentative paused before saying that there have been no cases "per se" -- he said he felt it was important to issue a general blanket statement.

"Every once in a while, people have a tendency to take matters into their own hands and cross that line," said Zimmerman in a telephone interview Wednesday. He later added that there were "just some concerns that have been surfacing in recent times that would make me feel like I just need to reemphasize that."

In a post on the police department's Facebook page Monday, Zimmerman wrote: "I have no tolerance for those that use a platform that disrupts or ruins our ongoing investigations, and inhibits our ability to police the community effectively."

He noted, however, that the police department appreciates residents acting as additional "eyes and ears" for law enforcement.

Many commenters responded in agreement with the Facebook post, while others condemned the police department for not doing more to tackle drug issues that many believe has become an epidemic in the borough.

Joanne Beebe wrote: "I agree , police should handle all matters."

Denise Revoir Butler: "I Know that statement to be strong and true. Stay out of the way and let them do the job they are trained to do. Thank you."

While stating that she does not "approve of vigilantism," Sharon Windsor-Sites wrote: "For all you agreeing with this post.... you weren't living our life ... If they (police) were doing their jobs it wouldn't have become such an epidemic to where we citizens of Pitman have had enough and have stepped in. I don't approve of vigilantism, but if we can make it difficult for dealers to conduct business as usual I'm all for it."

But Zimmerman said that there are laws and investigative procedures that must be followed. And, to disrupt drug and criminal activity in a meaningful way, he said police often must act methodically to catch criminals higher up the chain -- which in many cases can take time.

MORE: Pitman police beef up patrol after reports of suspicious vehicles

"It's a meticulous, methodical process that sometimes doesn't happen over night," he said. "We understand residents would like to see things happen immediately, but with the system we have in place, sometimes (it can) take longer than even we would like. But ultimately we would like a product that generates a long-lasting effect."

To try and show residents that the police are aggressively tackling drugs and crime in the borough, he recounted some statistics in the past three years.

"In 2012, 2013 and 2014, we made 905 total arrests -- 231 were drug arrests," he said. "And we conducted 22 search warrants in those three years, and as result of those search warrants, we made 43 arrests as a result of those search warrants."

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.