Published: September 07, 2008 10:49 pm            

N. Cambria woman, officials focus on community watch to cut crime

Four years ago, borough resident Carol Jarvis returned to her hometown after having lived in Florida for more than 20 years.

She and her husband, Mike, wanted to get back to small-town, close-knit living, but she said she was “astonished” to find an increase in crime – specifically illegal drugs.

At a recent council meeting, Jarvis asked officials whether the borough had a crime-watch organization and learned one organized within the past five years had fizzled.

Borough officials now hope a new group – with Jarvis at the helm – will garner more interest.

A rash of recent petty thefts from porches and sheds, including two new weed-eaters that were stolen from the borough garage, has prompted officials to ask for more watchful eyes.

“(The crime watch program) sat dormant for a couple of years, until (Jarvis) brought it up to council,” said Fred Nastasi, borough secretary.

“The program is needed,” Nastasi added.

“We want residents to look out for themselves and their neighbors.

“It only takes a few seconds to call police and let them know a suspicious person is seen around your property.”

Jarvis agreed, saying she knows from experience that even a 24-hour police department can’t keep an eye on everything.

She was instrumental in helping Florida police clean up her apartment complex when she noticed a difference in traffic patterns.

“Every time traffic was heavy, I would go down and write down license plate numbers, and then I called our local police and told them what I thought was going on,” Jarvis said. “I ended up speaking to a detective, and would you believe there were a lot of fugitives they caught because of what I saw and reported.

“They told me there were a lot of fugitives from the law that they were able to trace from the plate numbers, and they cleaned it up. I was proud to be a part of that.”

She wants to do the same in Northern Cambria.

“We have a lot of elderly citizens ... and we need to get together to help each other and our neighbors,” Jarvis said.

“I want this to happen, and I want people to know their neighbors will watch out for each other.

“I think some of us can make a difference.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.