By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
tribune staff writer

KEYSER — The city of Keyser will hold a meeting Wednesday night to discuss the formation of Neighborhood Crime Watch programs throughout the community.
Councilman Sonny Alt will host the 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, which will also feature a representative from the Keyser City Police Department as well as members of the Recreation Board.
“All citizens are invited,” Alt said at this week's City Council meeting.
Alt, who announced the formation of Crime Watch programs last month, said at least 50 people have expressed interest in participating.
The councilman, who is commissioner of parks and recreation, is leading the effort in part to stem vandalism at the city's parks. Laffey Park was hit two weeks ago and the Jack Rollins park on the North End was vandalized with obscene graffiti last week. Crews have since painted over the offensive graffiti, and Alt said a juvenile was apprehended as the culprit, but the parks remain vulnerable.
“We need to get this going,” Alt said of the Crime Watch program.
In the near term, city officials hope to deter teens from loitering

see CRIME WATCH page 10
at the North and South End parks by removing picnic tables for the winter months. “If they have to stand, they might not be there that long,” said Mayor William “Sonny” Rhodes, who broached the idea.
Alt is also pushing for security cameras to be installed at all of the parks.
As part of the security system upgrade at the wastewater treatment plant, the city police expanded the number of cameras they can monitor at the police station, and the parks commissioner wants some of those electronic eyes looking over the parks and playgrounds, where the city invests considerable funding and manpower to maintain play equipment and other facilities.
Even if vandals aren't caught in the act, when damage occurs police can go back over the recordings to glean identities and other clues.
Long-term, Alt hopes that Neighborhood Watch programs will engage residents in keeping an eye not only on their neighbors' houses and cars, but also on the parks as well. Residents who participate essentially serve as eyes and ears for police. If they see suspicious activity, they are not to confront the individuals, but rather simply notify police.
Police Chief Karen Shoemaker said Neighborhood Watch programs can be invaluable not only in reporting suspicious incidents, but in engaging residents to be more attuned to what's happening in their neighborhood.
Just this week, a North Main Street resident provided police with a vehicle description and license plate number for a hit-and-run incident that damaged a two-week-old car. Using the information provided by the resident, police tracked down the driver in Petersburg and charged her with striking the parked car.
Alt hopes that same kind of vigilance can be brought to bear on behalf of the city's parks.
“We need the public's help,” he said.
For more information on Wednesday's meeting or the Neighborhood Crime Watch program, call City Administrator Deborah Pamepinto at 304-788-6611 or Keyser City Police at 304-788-1311.