By Richard Kerns
Tribune Staff Writer
KEYSER — Turnout more than doubled at this week’s second meeting to organize a neighborhood Crime Watch program in Keyser, with officials expressing confidence that the effort to “take back our community” is gaining traction among residents throughout town.
“At least we’re growing,” said City Councilman Isaac “Sonny” Alt, who has spearheaded the development of a local Crime Watch program. “We’re getting off the ground.”
More than a dozen people attended Wednesday night's meeting at City Hall, including Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes and Keyser Police Captain Buddy Ellifritz.
Ellifritz said the Crime Watch program has the potential to improve the quality of life in Keyser by reducing crime. “If we get a whole community of eyes, that's a whole bunch of people watching, and that can make a difference,” he said.
Alt said more residents would have been in attendance at the meeting, including members of the local ministerial association, but Wednesday night is a busy evening for area church programs. As a result, future Crime Watch meetings will be held on Monday evenings, with the next meeting set for 7 p.m. Dec. 7.
Ellifritz, a 20-year veteran of the Keyser Police Department, spoke extensively about the benefits of a Crime Watch program, and addressed residents’ concerns about a variety of issues ranging from fear of retribution to a concern that tipsters who call police will be identified on the scanner, allowing criminals to find out who reported on them.
Ellifritz said the Keyser police department never relays over the radio the name of a person who calls in to report a crime. In such cases, the dispatcher will take information about the caller to allow officers to followup on their investigation, but the officer on the street will simply be notified of a report of a possible break-in, for example, with no information relayed as to the caller’s ID.
The only time names are given over the radio, he said, is when an officer is calling in for license information following a traffic stop.
“We don’t put names (of callers) on the scanner,” Ellifritz said.
When one resident spoke of a neighbor whose house was splashed with paint after he confronted unruly teens at the West End Park, Ellifritz said he is not aware of any Keyser resident who has ever suffered retribution for reporting a crime. Acknowledging the residents' sincere concerns, though, he said the judicial system takes such crimes very seriously and any such offense would result in jail time.
Still, as another resident noted, Crime Watch programs are indeed pro-active and require residents to not only keep an eye on their neighborhoods, but to report any suspicious activity. While such efforts indeed require residents to “get involved,” those who participate in Crime Watch enjoy strength in numbers as the program grows.
“We will have a community of people watching,” Ellifritz said. “As word spreads about the Crime Watch, that's going to give everybody more confidence that 'I'm not in this by myself' because the whole block is involved, and that will push them out of your neighborhood. It starts having a direct effect on criminal activity.”
The Crime Watch program began as an effort to deter vandalism in the city's four parks, and city officials announced at the meeting that signs have been erected at all four parks limiting their use to daylight hours only. However, police will take a flexible approach with the lighted basketball courts at the South End Park.
Alt noted, though, that the Crime Watch effort is “not only parks, it's the whole community of Keyser.”
And it's not just about criminals breaking into homes or drug activity or teens hanging out after hours at the parks. Concerns raised Wednesday night included speeding traffic on Mozelle Street. Ellifritz said certain streets warrant a speed limit lower than the typical 25 mph, and that can also part of Crime Watch.
“Maybe as a group we can work to identify those areas where we might be able to reduce the speed limit,” he said.
Ellifritz said the Keyser Police Department is fully behind the Crime Watch effort. At Wednesday’s meeting he provided program startup information to Alt and other members of the Recreation Board, which is leading the formation of the program. He gave residents a checklist of more than three dozen items they can address to make their own homes more secure.
“If we can get you all involved, that would tickle us to death,” the captain said.
For more information about Crime Watch, contact the Keyser Police Department at 304-788-1311.
