By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer
KEYSER — The city of Keyser kicked off its Crime Watch program with a modest turnout at Wednesday night's organizational meeting, but strong backing from County Commissioner Wayne Spiggle, who proposed a countywide crime-fighting effort to include widespread use of video surveillance cameras.
Although Councilman Isaac “Sonny” Alt had received expressions of interest from more than 50 people in response to his appeal for Crime Watch volunteers, only a handful of residents showed up for the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall. Still, the discussion was lively and touched on numerous aspects of the proposed program, laying the groundwork for the next meeting, to be held Nov. 4.
“I think this was a good start,” said Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes, who also attended the meeting, along with Councilman Ed Miller.
Alt, the commissioner of parks and recreation, organized the Crime Watch meeting in response to ongoing vandalism at city parks, including recent incidents at Laffey Park on the city's
east end, and the Jack Rollins park on the north end. He said the city suffered more than $5,000 in damage over the summer months, with most of the vandalism attributed to youths who hang out at the parks after dark.
“Week after week, the vandalism continues,” he said.
A couple who live near the West End park noted teens and young adults who regularly congregate at that park, pushing younger children off the basketball courts and using loud, profane language. They said the teens intimidate not only the children but residents who live nearby.
“The language is filthy. People can't sit out on their porches,” the woman said. “The park is really nice, but it needs to be patrolled more and taken back.”
The woman said she once called police after seeing a fist fight break out among the youths, but police grilled her for information. She said she won't give her name to police after a neighbor who once complained found his house vandalized soon after.
“It was like I was put on the spot, like I was the one causing the problem,” she said.
Two officers from the Keyser Police Department attended the meeting on behalf of Chief Karen Shoemaker, who was out of town. The two said that anonymous calls are accepted, but obtaining a conviction against someone who commits a crime can be more difficult if witnesses aren't willing to give names and even testify in court.
Another resident spoke about problems on Keyser's North End, where the Jack Rollins park was recently vandalized with graffiti. She said that end of town has “deteriorated” over the years, and young people hanging out at the park can also be threatening.
“It's kind of intimidating if you walk by that basketball court and they're playing,” she said. “The language is just foul and abusive. They'll even call out foul comments to people walking by.”
Alt said such behavior is a big part of the problem in Keyser, and a big part of the reason he moved to form neighborhood Crime Watches.
“The mayor and the Rec Board, we're going to stop the people who are threatening our community ... ,” he said. “If we get this Crime Watch organized and get some teamwork, we can hopefully stop this.”
Commissioner Spiggle presented city officials with a detailed proposal that would form the basis for grant applications seeking funding to develop countywide Crime Watch programs, as well as installation of video surveillance cameras at crime “hot spots” around the county. He applauded Alt and the Rec Board for taking the lead in organizing a crime-fighting effort in Keyser.
“I came here primarily to thank you and compliment you for raising this issue and taking action to address it,” he said.
Spiggle's proposal focuses heavily on volunteerism, envisioning formal Crime Watch programs where volunteers are trained by police and even wear vests or uniforms to distinguish them as neighborhood watch participants. “The classic neighborhood crime watch is such that the people are designated by police ...,” he said. “There is a quasi-official status in the community for the crime watch team.”
He said advances in technology, and falling prices, have made it possible to employ widespread use of video cameras at parks, parking lots and even cemeteries where problems have occurred in the past.
Spiggle plans to present the proposal to town and community officials throughout Mineral County, as well as his fellow county commissioners.
The next meeting of the Crime Watch effort in Keyser will be Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in City Hall. City officials said they hope to have Chief Shoemaker attend to address concerns about anonymous calls and other issues that were raised this week.
