Media Update, Crime Unit Announced

In answers to citizen inquiries from the Jan. 14 agenda fixing sessions, City Administrator Eric Berry said the cable television schedule had been updated and council meetings were being shown every night. residents had complained that meetings were being videotaped but not broadcast. The new schedule replaces one dating back to December 2011 and can be viewed on the city web site under Media (go to Departments, then Administration & Finance, then drop down to Media under IT). The stale press releases, the most recent dating back to November 2011 and welcoming Berry, are gone.

The council meetings listed are from December. One wonders what became of the many meetings in the interim from when broadcasting halted to this resumption. Another head-scratcher is the status of the Plainfield Cable Television Advisory Board. After a strong resurgence in 2010, it seems to have fizzled out. can it be revitalized? Plaintalker hopes it will re-emerge as truly an advisory body, without a blurring of responsibilities to the point where those with oversight end up in hands-on roles.

In other news, Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig will initiate a "high impact crime prevention unit" with five officers and a supervisor. No further details were given, such as where it will be deployed.

Berry also said a resident's request for an accounting of all costs related to the 2012 July Fourth celebration has been fulfilled. Resident Jeanette Criscione said she finally received the information that night.

The next City Council agenda-fixing session is 7:30 on Feb. 4 in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave. The regular meeting will be 8 p.m. Feb. 11 in the same location.

--Bernice