Hours after a man was arraigned for a Hill Section homicide, East Scranton residents gathered at their organizational neighborhood watch meeting in hopes of improving quality of life and minimizing crime in the area.
Co-President Lori LaVango said it is a crucial time for people to come together.
"Safety is huge. There's been some incidents and activity. We need to keep each other informed," she said.
About 30 people gathered at St. Paul's Lutheran Church for the East Scranton Neighborhood Watch meeting Thursday night, along with Acting Scranton police Chief Carl Graziano and organizers from other city watch groups. They discussed issues like blight, mischievous juveniles and dilapidated properties that act as magnets for crime throughout East Scranton.
Jerry McCabe, a resident of Myrtle Street for more than 30 years, said his home was burglarized recently. He is tired of being victimized by petty criminals and unsavory characters.
"We're fed up with it. We're fed up with the crime," he said.
West Scranton Hyde Park Neighborhood Watch President Karin Foster gave a presentation to the group on how to report crime, blight and concerns to Scranton police, as well as how to uses resources like www. crimereports.com, a site where people can see what crimes occurred recently near their residences.
East Scranton isn't the only neighborhood revamping its neighborhood watch.
North Scranton also held a meeting this week, with more than 60 people attending Monday, Co-President Kathleen Quinn said. The North Scranton Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch meets the first Monday of every month, with June's meeting slated for 7 p.m. at Weston Park.
The East Scranton group's next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 13, at 7 p.m. at St. Paul's.
Chief Graziano praised the East Scranton group for joining the ranks of the numerous neighborhood watch groups throughout the city and said it is essential for citizens and businesses to aid police in keeping crime out.
"This is a force multiplier," he said, gesturing to those gathered.
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