Something going on at the Reservation

galileo said:

At least Maplewood police should know what's going on in the Maplewood section of the reservation.

 By that logic they should know what is happening in every adjacent jurisdiction patrolled by another PD.  Maplewood does not patrol the reservation.  The county does.  My point, which stands, is that complaining about a random officer not knowing the details of a county investigation is myopic and unfair to the officer.

jamie said:

I think in the past there was some issues with overuse of the picnic areas.  I think that's why they would close on holidays also - like Memorial Day and July 4th.

 I agree with that decision. Parks shouldn't be used.  Nobody should be allowed in 'em

DanDietrich said:

 Maplewood borders Union, Millburn, Newark, Irvington, South Orange, and West Orange.  Do you think every officer should know what's going on in every one of those municipalities as well as the reservation and Maplewood itself?  Just in case someone asks them?

 Its a thing called the daily briefing. I learned about it on Miami 5.0.  A captain gets the troops in a room and says like:

There's a water main break at the Irvington border and we are diverting traffic. 

There was a suspicious man reported wandering around Clinton school at 4:00 yesterday. He had a dog with him on a leash. If any of you see him, ask him what he is doing before he goes and does it.

Wawa is having their free coffee sale next month. Coffee is free for cops and teachers but the donuts are not as good so get your coffee and then go to Dunks for just the donut.

Be safe out there.

DanDietrich said:

 By that logic they should know what is happening in every adjacent jurisdiction patrolled by another PD.  Maplewood does not patrol the reservation.  The county does.  My point, which stands, is that complaining about a random officer not knowing the details of a county investigation is myopic and unfair to the officer.

 Just to set the record straight Dan, I was not complaining about the Maplewood police officer. Quite the opposite! Since the reservation actually extends through our town, I felt that our police department should be alerted by the county as to what is going on there for over a week now for their safety as well as ours. I was not looking for the details of the investigation. I was merely trying to ascertain how safe it was for me to walk through the wooden areas when it appeared that they hadn’t yet found what they were looking for. 

Per the above posters comment about how certain towns are "in" the Reservation but not South Orange, it's odd.  When you look at online maps, it shows SO's border up against the Rez but not going into it, whereas maps of the other towns show borders cutting through the park.  But what does that mean?   I don't think any of the towns have jurisdiction over "their" parts of the park.  Do they own it in any real sense?  It's a county park.

joan_crystal said:

 Requests for improved communication and transparency should be directed to Essex County, the jurisdiction that oversees the reservation. 

 LOL! Complain to Joey D. I am sure that will be effective. 

bub said:

Per the above posters comment about how certain towns are "in" the Reservation but not South Orange, it's odd.  When you look at online maps, it shows SO's border up against the Rez but not going into it, whereas maps of the other towns show borders cutting through the park.  But what does that mean?   I don't think any of the towns have jurisdiction over "their" parts of the park.  Do they own it in any real sense?  It's a county park.

The municipal boundaries were marked out before any of the land was designated as a county park, or a county police force was created to be responsible for public safety within that park. Essex County doesn't have any lands that aren't part of one of its municipalities.

DanDietrich said:

Mema said:

DanDietrich said:

 It's very possible that they can't talk about an ongoing investigation.  And there is no reason at all for a Maplewood policeman to be in the loop.

 It seems to me that considering Maplewood borders on the reservation, the Maplewood police should be apprised as to what is going on in the reservation especially considering that one of the sheriffs reported that they are “looking for something “.  Haven’t we learned in the last couple of years that sharing information among government agencies is a good thing?

 Maplewood borders Union, Millburn, Newark, Irvington, South Orange, and West Orange.  Do you think every officer should know what's going on in every one of those municipalities as well as the reservation and Maplewood itself?  Just in case someone asks them?

A large part of the reservation is actually INSIDE the borders Maplewood. If there is a criminal investigation going on in the reservation which necessitates shutting down the area, it's logical that Maplewood Police should be aware of it.

I am totally blanking on Reservation geography - where are the Maplewood parts, over off of South Orange Avenue?

Google map with Maplewood border in red. Looks like it includes the area of from below the reservoir through Hemlock Falls and up to the dog park of SO Ave.

(also, whenever I look at municipal boundaries in NJ they are so arbitrary -- you'd think they'd follow streets or natural features but no -- they just cut through yards on some logic all their own)

Also, in case people aren't aware of the open source alternative, Maplewood in OpenStreetMap. Not so good for driving directions, but better on some other dimensions.

PVW said:

(also, whenever I look at municipal boundaries in NJ they are so arbitrary -- you'd think they'd follow streets or natural features but no -- they just cut through yards on some logic all their own)

The town borders of Maplewood existed before most of the streets did.

PVW said:

Also, in case people aren't aware of the open source alternative, Maplewood in OpenStreetMap. Not so good for driving directions, but better on some other dimensions.

 I was not aware of that site. Thanks.

yahooyahoo said:

The town borders of Maplewood existed before most of the streets did.

 It looks like a gerrymandered congressional district. Heh.

PeterWick said:

yahooyahoo said:

The town borders of Maplewood existed before most of the streets did.

 It looks like a gerrymandered congressional district. Heh.

The Village of South Orange decided what its boundaries would be when it formed within South Orange Township, and later on when it formally separated from the Township (which later changed its name to Maplewood).

This is a link to a map showing the Village boundaries in 1889.

The_Oranges_1889.jpg (3089×2216) (rutgers.edu)

The Township gave some of its area, where Seton Hall is now, some time after that before the borders were finalized. It also looks like South Orange did have some of the South Mountain Reservation within its borders, with that part going to the Township at some time after that as well.