Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Whether you live in Syracuse or the suburbs, more neighborhoods tend to see more trouble during the summer months. Police will encourage you to stay ‘on the lookout’ and call when you see someone, or something suspicious.
Perhaps no one knows that better than some neighbors on Syracuse's North Side; crime was rising rapidly and the odds were clearly stacked against them.
The group formed a neighborhood watch and now the odds are back in their favor.
They've only been at it for three years, but already members of the Washington Square Neighborhood watch group can claim some significant victories. They've driven dealers out, and shut down three drug houses.
Their struggles are constant though; there's still graffiti to remove and prostitutes are still a problem. “We're not going to give up on it. This is our neighborhood and we're going to keep fighting for it,” says Mary Ellsworth, a neighborhood watch member.
The folks in the neighborhood learned how to fight, when their newest neighbor moved in. Syracuse police officer Jim Clark helped them come up a battle plan.
They identified crime hot spots, gathered statistics, and evidence. They now snap photos of drug dealers, prostitutes, and their customers. “The drug house might be right across the street from you. You could use your cell phone, from a distance, and the way the cameras are today, the pictures come out pretty good,” said Clarke.
As neighbors found out, by sharing concerns and reporting them, there isn't as much fear filling this neighborhood. “If we can respond when an issue is taking place, interview people and find out who the players are, that gives us information so we can deal with it in the future,” Clarke said.
Ellsworth says the area has changed. “Now, it's different sections instead of just one corner of people calling. People around the park are calling, everyone is keeping track of what's going on.”
It’s crime control that is community driven.
You’re invited to join their group; their next meeting is next Thursday at Washington Square Park; their neighborhood watch meeting will start at six.
Tuesday, neighborhood watch groups from the city and county, families and folks interested in learning more about neighborhood watch are invited to the annual “Light up the Night” picnic. This year it's a Schiller Park on Tuesday, June 9th. It starts at six.
