The City of Hoboken is set to launch community engagement forums on public safety initiatives next week, which will be hosted by Director Kenneth Ferrante and Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero – the chair of the council’s public safety subcommittee.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Open and transparent lines of communication are critical to keeping our community safe and informed,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“The new Hoboken CAPS series will bring together the City’s essential first-responders, residents, and business leaders, under one roof for open dialogue about current trends, concerns, and programs. I look forward to the series launch next week and I encourage all members of the community to attend and participate.”
The Hoboken Community and Public Safety forums will be held every other month to build upon public safety and community relations.
“The essence of strong community and public safety relations is community engagement. After over two years of these types of in-person community events being halted by the pandemic, it is time to re-engage face-to-face,” added Ferrante.
“The Coffee With a Cop series when I was police chief had incredible success and this new program will expand on that initiative to bring together our residents and all of the City’s public safety divisions for informative conversations.”
The forums will bring community members together with all public safety divisions, including the Office of Emergency Management, Hoboken Police Department, Hoboken Fire Department, and Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp., together for open discussion.
“I’m excited to be working with Director Ferrante on kicking off this series. If you think about it, public safety is the most important function of government,” noted Quintero.
“If people do not feel safe walking down the street or resting in their homes, simply put, nothing else matters. So, it is critical that our city’s first responders and residents have direct access to each other to share priorities, expectations, and concerns.”
Members of each public safety division will give a short presentation on current public safety trends in Hoboken as related to their division, as well as public safety tips.
The public forums will be held at various times and locations throughout the city to promote greater access to residents. Each event will also offer free coffee and pastries to attendees.
The first forum will be held on Wednesday, May 25th, at Johnny Pepperoni’s, located at 219 11th St., from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Public safety officials who will participate in the first forum include Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Sgt. William Montanez, Hoboken Police Chief Steven Aguiar, Police Capt. John Petrosino, Traffic Commander Lt. Keith Rotondi, Alcohol Beverage and Control Division Lt. Charles Kucz, Fire Chief Anton Peskens, Battalion Chief of Staff Dave Buoncuore, Battalion Chief of Training Audra Carter, and Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp President Thomas Molta.
