Want to deter those petty thieves jiggling door handles as they walk past parked cars? Sick of seeing graffiti painted on buildings and our public parks? Tired of peddlers without a permit knocking on your door to offer a “cheaper” electric rate (or are they really checking to see if anyone is at home)?
At the Council Meeting last month, I set a date for a Safety Committee Meeting to discuss how to get a Neighborhood Watch Program in West Easton active again.
The meeting consisted of myself, Council V.P. Paul James, Councilwoman Janie Jones Brown, Mayor Dan DePaul, and Police Chief Robert Mahady.
Mayor DePaul brought with him paperwork from when West Easton had an active Block Watch Program. They were from when his wife, Rusandra organized the community. Sadly, Rusandra passed away in 1999 and during the years that followed, Block Watch Captains and many of the original members moved, or also passed away.
Though some old Block Watch signs can be seen in the borough there are currently no active members. No meetings. No coordinated effort to deter those who would negatively affect the quality of life in our borough.
The Council members mentioned above and Mayor DePaul committed themselves to be Neighborhood Watch Captains of their respective streets.
But we need more. We’re hoping residents will join the program. We’d also like to find a Captain for each street in the borough.
Captains will try to get every residence on their block to become members.
Police Chief Mahady will speak to a meeting of members, if this new effort is successful. He’ll address the DOs, the DON’Ts, and proper reporting procedures.
If enough interest can be generated, the Safety Committee will solicit monetary support from the full Council. We hope to get new signs for the streets, small yard signs for members, and possibly window stickers for vehicles.
If you would like to join the Neighborhood Watch Program, you can email me, Mr. James, Mrs. Jones Brown, or Mayor DePaul using the contact page on the borough website.
If you really want to lower the incidents of petty crime and vandalism in the borough you need to get involved. There would probably be nothing more worrisome to a petty thief, or a kid with spray paint, than seeing every house on the block identified as a Neighborhood Watch member.
For more information on Neighborhood Watch, visit their website at https://nnw.org/
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
