LEWISTOWN - Several Lewistown residents gathered for a Community Watch reorganizational meeting on Thursday at Burgard Apartments on Chestnut Street.
The meeting was sponsored by Downtown Lewistown Inc., Mifflin County Communities That Care and Mifflin County Regional Police Department, and the meeting space was provided by Mifflin County Housing Authority.
Chuck Dicken, the newly hired Community Watch coordinator for Mifflin County Communities that Care, said his primary goal during the next year is to increase participation in Community Watch organizations.
Dicken has decades of experience as a law enforcement officer and thanks to a grant secured by CTC, he will be able to assist MCRPD Crime Prevention Officer Eric Ettinger in expanding participation in Community Watch organizations.
Dickens said the goal is to have 20 groups up and running.
"Unfortunately, there has been a decline in the activity of community watches," Dicken said. "We want to get the inactive groups back up and running ... we also want to establish a safe house in each neighborhood for kids to go to if they feel in danger."
Ettinger spoke about the importance of establishing a good working relationship with the public.
"You're our eyes and ears ... we can drive around all night, or on day shift, but we're not going to see everything," Ettinger said.
Current neighborhood block watch groups and meeting times include:
North Derry Avenue Block Watch meeting: 6:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Derry Township Senior Citizen Center, Mill Road, Yeagertown;
Burnham Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. last Wednesday of the month at the Burnham Fire Department;
Mount Rock Commons Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. First Thursday of the month at the Mount Rock Commons Apartment Complex;
North Grand Street Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. first Monday of the month at 306 North Grand Street, Lewistown;
West End Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Buchanan Elementary School;
Catherine Street Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. third Thursday of the month at City Fire Company, Valley Street, Lewistown;
Central Avenue Block Watch meeting: 6:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Trinity Church, Oak Street and Central Avenue, Lewistown;
McCardles Trailer Park Block Watch meeting: 7:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Mifflin County Christian Academy;
Five Points Block Watch meeting: starting January 14, 2010, held 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday every month at 120 Chestnut St., Lewistown;
Burgard / Lawler Block Watch meeting: 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month at Burgard Apartments;
Logan Street Block Watch meeting: 6:30 p.m. fourth Tuesday of the month at Grace United Methodist Church;
Highland Park Block Watch meeting: 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month at Rhodes Memorial Church.
Contact Mifflin County Regional Police for updated times and dates, as December meetings may be postponed due to holiday activity.
The public is invited to attend these meetings and anyone interested in starting a Neighborhood Block Watch should contact Dicken at 248-1900 ext. 34 or e-mail supportservices@mcrpd.org.
