After
reaching the halfway point of the initial four-meeting rollout of the Taylor On
Watch program, city officials and residents appear to be saying the same thing:
This is a program worth participating in.
Mayor
Rick Sollars and the Taylor Police Department, in an effort to engage the
community in crime prevention efforts, started the program earlier this year.
It involves town hall meetings focusing on educational crime-fighting tips and
anti-crime information. Meetings were held at City Hall in April and June, with
each focusing on a different quadrant of the city.
The
next two meetings are:
6
p.m. Wednesday, September 24, for residents living in the region bordered by
Van Born on the north; Pelham on the west; Goddard on the south; and Telegraph
on the west.
6
p.m. Wednesday, November 19, for residents living in the region bordered by
Goddard on the north; Allen on the east; Pennsylvania on the south; and
Telegraph on the west.
Thus
far, the meetings have attracted about three dozen residents each, although
that number is deceiving because it is obvious that word is spreading
throughout the community. Pat Johnson, who attended the meeting in June that
focused on the northwest area of the community, emailed afterward with his
impressions.
“My
son and I attended (and it) felt so encouraging to see our police chief take
interest in our rougher neighborhood,” he said. “I feel hope for the first time
in a long time.”
After
the first meeting in April, a group of residents from the southeast portion of
the city near Pennsylvania Road had an ongoing problem with off-road vehicles trespassing
on an adjacent parcel of land, disturbing them at all hours of the day and
night. The “watch” program prompted the residents to work with police, who
coordinated with the owner of the property and put a stop to the difficulties.
“Police
can’t be everywhere, all of the time.” Police Chief Mary Sclabassi said. “We
need the community to be aware of things they can do to help themselves. And to
work with us. We need their eyes and ears.”
The
program has a heavy focus on “good neighbor” and “safe-and-secure” issues.
Sclabassi has been the presenter during the meetings, and does a nice job of
laying out the entire picture, from city- wide crime numbers to statistics
based solely on the quadrant of the community being discussed. The presentation
lays out crime by location, time and day of the week. It also focuses on drug
violations, burglaries, etc.
It
discusses developing strong neighbor relations, recognizing suspicious
behavior, taking appropriate actions, implementing home security (in obvious
and non- obvious ways) and tracking community crime through available measures.
“The police are only one element when it comes to fighting crime,” Mayor Sollars said. “Residents here want a safe community. By getting involved in meetings like these, people can get very usable information to help them and help their police department. By working together, we can help the entire community.”
All
of the Taylor On Watch meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend. For
more information about the program, call (734) 287-6611. Taylor On Watch
stickers, for cars or homes, are available in Mayor Sollars’ office, along with
more information on the program.
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