UPDATE: Police Chief to Discuss Town's Safety Issues - TONIGHT

The rash of as well as and some , have prompted many residents to call for a Town Hall meeting on crime and safety.

While tonight's public forum is not a Town Hall meeting per se, it will be conducted in that format with a chance for the public to ask questions of and will allow him to address crime and safety concerns.

The Short Hills Association took this on because the Township Committee has not hosted a Town Hall meeting on the subject even though residents have been asking for one and have great concerns about crime, said Short Hills Association president Stewart Cohen.

"We want input from the residents, we want to hear their concerns," Cohen said. "We really want them to drill for answers."

While there have been some serious crimes and causes for concern in the last year, the perception is worse the amount of crime in town, he said, and he wants residents to know there's no need to panic.

"The whole thing for the town is the perception," he said. "People are nervous."

The Q & A session will give residents a chance to find out answers to all of their concerns, Cohen said.

The public meeting will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at the .