"More officers, more equipment, more space," he'll tell any council member who ventures within earshot.

It's a plea that's hard to ignore - and one that's going to be painfully on our minds as we try to juggle Asbury Park's limited funds in this "gotcha" period before the city's economy revives.

As he celebrates his first year as Asbury Park Police Director, Jordan is just as likely to be found patrolling the streets at 7:00 in the morning as he is to be seated in front of his office computer at midnight.

Under Jordan's command, the crime rate in Asbury Park fell an impressive 10 percent in 2002, with major crimes falling 11 percent, and this May's crime rate was down 6 percent over the same time last year.

And the escalating disruption of the unsponsored, spontaneous gathering known as Greekfest sputtered to a whimper last year under Jordan's innovative planning.

But warm weather is coming, and with it comes a traditional spike in street crime as people move outdoors. This spring has seen a recent spate of burglaries, a series of pre-July 4 firecracker incidents (often incorrectly reported as gun blasts), and complaints about drug-dealing and prostitution.

And Jordan, working with a minimum number of officers and several officers out on disability, is spending long hours "thinking outside the box" to creatively keep on top of Asbury Park's safety and policing needs.

Just this month, six new officers joined the Asbury Park Police Department and, as part of their 90-day field training duties, Jordan formed them into a highly visible new Special Task Force, patrolling high-crime areas on foot and bicycles in bright yellow shirts to improve police-community teamwork and deter would-be lawbreakers.

And 14 residents enrolled in Jordan's new Citizens on Patrol (COP) Academy just completed a 12-week training program, and will be visibly taking to the streets this month with police radios in cars to serve as additional eyes and ears for the police.

The academy, taught by over a dozen law enforcement experts coordinated by Captain Mike Ham, familiarized participants with the day-to-day realities of police work, ranging from criminal investigations, patrol tactics and report writing, to gangs, domestic violence and constitutional law.

Academy Director Lawson June, a former deputy mayor and special police officer, is now seeking donations to help graduates purchase caps, jackets and t-shirts for use on patrol. And Jordan is asking residents, businesses and other police departments to donate used vehicles for service as marked citizen patrol cars.

A second COP Academy, already half-full, will start in October. Contact Lawson June at 732-988-3269 or Captain Ham at 732-774-1300 to enroll or to donate cash or a car.

Jordan is also interviewing candidates for what he hopes will be 8 to 10 police officer slots to be filled in the coming year.

"The most frustrating thing for me is that I can't police the community the way I want to [with the current number of officers]," Jordan said. "I want people to know that, despite our personnel shortfall, the Police Department is still going 100 percent."

"If an officer doesn't show up to a call, that's certainly one thing. But if they show up five minutes late, try not to be too critical of them - they may be trying to deal with a drug dealer, an accident, and a call for service all at once."

"We need the help of the community. Be the eyes and ears on your block. Join a Neighborhood Watch group."

Neighborhood Watch groups now serve the northwest, southwest and northeast sectors of town, and police officials attend all meetings.

The new northeast group, headed by Barbara Lesinski, for example, is "very proactive, very out-of-the-box," Jordan noted. Each month, community members present a list of specific neighborhood concerns to the police, and statistics are kept on police follow-up.

An innovative approach has also been taken by congregants at St. Stephen's Church, under the leadership of church member Albert Neal. When unruly people began disturbing church functions, gambling in the church parking lot, and vandalizing property, congregants worked with city police to form a church security team.

Church volunteers now patrol the area during and between services, bible studies and prayer meetings, and politely ask disruptive individuals to leave. If they refuse, the group summons police.

Problems have decreased significantly, and security members now find themselves working to draw drug addicts and other troubled people into their church.

But Jordan's most passionate plea for community involvement comes in the area of city children, and he is actively promoting programs ranging from a new Police Athletic League to a stepped-up Police Explorer Post to a new "youth court" where kids would play the roles of judge, jury, defense attorney and prosecutor - all activities that teach kids respect for property, the law, themselves and others.

"We are continuing to build a bridge between youth, the community, and the Police Department," Jordan said. "If I had one message for the people of Asbury Park, it would be that adults in this community have to be willing to donate at least an hour a week to kids."

Jordan continues to host his "5 to 7" program, in which he and other police officials make themselves available to the public from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at police headquarters.

And, on Thursday, July 17 at 6 p.m., he will host a one-hour public COMSTAT meeting in City Council chambers, followed by a one-hour question-and-answer session for residents and businesspeople. COMSTAT, another Jordan innovation in our area, is a formal, typically closed-door session where city police meet weekly with a variety of county, state and federal law enforcement officials to discuss crime statistics and to exchange information on city trouble spots and anti-crime initiatives.

While the optimum answer to Asbury Park's public safety issues would be a dramatically increased budget (as Jordan will remind me the next time I see him, and the time after that...), the reality is that Asbury Park's long-time budget woes won't subside for a few more years. (And, yes, I will be talking in depth about our budget situation in upcoming columns.)

But the hard (and encouraging) reality of life in a reviving city is that all of us, working together, are still the best resource we have to create a new Asbury Park. Please volunteer.