Diaz and City Council Pull The Plug On Perth Amboy Residents

Perth Amboy, N.J. (October 1, 2020): Instead of issuing a general alert to invite community members to share information, Perth Amboy authorities pulled the plug on residents who monitor police radio communications by reverting to an encrypted radio frequency channel which does not allow for residents to listen in.

With citizens losing the ability to monitor police radio transmissions, the public must rely on officials. Yet, the Police Chief recently appeared in a video with Mayor Wilda Diaz in which he falsely said Perth Amboy is one of New Jersey’s safest cities and residents should regard the surge in violent crime as political rhetoric.

In fact, Perth Amboy is one of the most dangerous municipalities in the Garden State, according to both the FBI and that State Police Uniform Crime Reporting bureau.

The crime rate in Perth Amboy is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America, according to one popular website.

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/perth-amboy/crime

Based on FBI crime data, Perth Amboy is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to New Jersey, Perth Amboy has a crime rate that is higher than 72% of the state’s cities and towns of all sizes.The website goes on to say: “From our analysis, we discovered that violent crime in Perth Amboy occurs at a rate higher than in most communities of all population sizes in America.”

Even more alarming is that statistically in 2019 violent crimes in Perth Amboy went unsolved 82.23% of the time, as reported to the State of New Jersey Uniform Crime Reporting data.

“There are street gangs vying for control of the streets in Perth Amboy, and officials had better recognize the need to enlist the entire community to suppress the expansion of either drug empire rather than engage in a political cover-up,” stated Joseph B. Vas.

The Trinitarios are a street gang founded in a New York City jail almost 30 years ago and they have had an active rivalry with Dominicans Don’t Play (DDP), the second largest gang of Dominican descent behind the Trinitarios. Members of the two outlaw groups exchanged gunfire and engaged in a car chase early Sunday morning, after which Perth Amboy police recovered 30 spent bullet casings.

Furthermore, Vas has demanded the City Council call for an Emergency Meeting to allow the Police Director/ Mayor Diaz and Police Chief explain what if any action the Police Department is taking to address the surge in violence and how residents can protect themselves. City Council President William Petrick has refused to schedule an Emergency Meeting asserting, rather that Vas spend his own money to address the problem.

In addition, Vas has called for the Police Director/Mayor Diaz to update the departments Accreditation by revising the Standard Operating Procedure and Rules and Regulations. Diaz has named herself as police director and she appointed the chief to his job.

Recently, Diaz also appointed the son of a former councilman as acting captain in the police department who also serves as her campaign manager, even though he is no longer on the Certified Civil list of qualified candidates. There are currently 5 eligible candidates on the list who have filed legal action against the Mayor’s unlawful appointment.

“Perth Amboy does not exist in a bubble. Americans throughout the country are demanding answers and transparency of their law enforcement officials. Shutting down the voices of concerned residents and politicizing the critical work of the Police Department will not make violent crime go away. Police science has proven time and time again that communities should be recruiting the eyes and ears of residents and
building partnerships to combat crime,” Vas added. “Perth Amboy residents want and deserve a public forum to address their fear for their quality of life. How ironic that in the midst of an election they are being denied freedom of speech,” concluded Vas.