Attention must be paid to clear sign of trouble
It was more than a little disconcerting when Freehold Borough police reported last week that an unknown individual had fired gunshots on Jackson Street near the Rug Mill Towers at about 6 p.m. March 5.

According to police, four gunshots were fired in the street directly in front of an apartment building that senior citizens and families with children call home. The Rug Mill Towers is also the location where the police department has its headquarters.

With bullets flying on Jackson Street, this could have been a disastrous situation, but thankfully no one was injured.

Quick work by Freehold Borough police resulted in the arrest of Daquin Calhoun, 18, of Freehold Borough, on the evening of March 5.

Calhoun was subsequently charged with being the person who fired a gun in front of the Rug Mill Towers. Police said he was shooting at a 17-year-old boy from Freehold Township. As of March 7, a gun had not been recovered. Time and the justice system will determine if police got the right man.

While all towns have crime, all towns do not have people firing guns indiscriminately in their streets. This type of incident is an unfortunate reminder of how prevalent guns are in our society and how unexpectedly violence can occur.

It is the second report of gunshots being fired in the borough within the past few weeks. The first incident occurred on Marcy Street and no arrests have been made.

Freehold Borough officials, business owners and residents have worked diligently over the past decade to make the borough a destination for visitors. Summer events such as Kruise Nite draw thousands of people to town for good times. The police always have a significant presence on Main Street and officers can frequently be seen interacting with residents and visitors. All of that is positive for the borough.

News of gunshots being fired in the streets is not the type of activity Freehold Borough - or any town - needs. Violence leads to more violence. While police officers cannot be everywhere at every minute of the day, increased patrols of known trouble spots might make a difference.

Perhaps these incidents on Marcy Street and Jackson Street were twice-in-a-decade occurrences. Perhaps not. However, after having been placed on notice that guns are in the borough and that people are willing to use them, police should use every resource available to them to rid the community of weapons before an incident such as the one that occurred on March 5 leaves someone dead.