Members of the Fourth Ward Neighborhood Watch are particularly active in patrolling their neighborhoods as a group. They enjoy walking together, and on this particular get-together were accompanied by Chief William Worden, Officer Willaim Conklin, and Conklin’s canine buddy, Mac, who lives with Conklin’s family and is respected as a friendly, valuable, and special member of the department. (Photo by Sharon E. Siegel)

By Sharon E. Siegel

PORT JERVIS — Port Jervis citizens have grassroots “quality of life” representation in all four wards of their city.

Through expanding Neighborhood Watch groups, members say their goal is to work toward the best quality of life possible in their neighborhoods.  This is also the goal of the police department, according to Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden, who attends Neighborhood Watch meetings frequently and encourages groups to form and remain active.

Worden, along with Police Officer/Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Kara Angeloni, attends meetings as often as their schedules allow.  They say valuable information is provided to and obtained from attending ward watch meetings, and they try to join foot patrols or individual groups’ special events as often as possible.   Each stressed the value of the city’s neighborhood watch groups and encourages the large growth in strength and numbers that has occurred over the past several years.

“Citizen participation, along with crime prevention initiatives, is the cornerstone of our community policing efforts,” said Worden.  “Our citizenry serves as our first line of offense, and our first line of defense, in keeping their neighborhoods safe.  Through their daily interactions with their neighbors, they act as the eyes and ears of our department.”

Angeloni has been charged with helping to organize and assist the Neighborhood Watch groups for about three years now, a role she eagerly embraces.  She sees her role as assisting groups to form, providing information, answering questions and concerns, and directing members to agencies that can assist them with their concerns, such as the city’s building department.  She also acts as a liaison between the watch groups and the police department and works with crime prevention measures throughout the city.

“I don’t organize or run meetings for the groups, but I do try to attend whenever possible,” said Angeloni, who said the city’s Neighborhood Watch groups tend to be very dynamic.

Angeloni said members keep in touch with her via email, and she reviews minutes from organized watch group meetings. Some groups are more active than others, with the Third Ward and Fourth Ward groups being among the most active.

“The Third and Fourth Ward groups host regular meetings, and constantly recruit new members and take an active role in the community, such as National Night Out,” said Angeloni.  “Anyone interested in starting a group in any of the wards where a group already exists can contact me, as well, as we welcome additional groups tailored to individual neighborhoods, such as a block or several streets.”

While some groups have existed for years, First Ward watch groups are currently in the process of forming.  One group has met in the Acre area, and another is attempting to form in the West End.  Angeloni said anyone interested in starting an additional group, or joining the Acre or West End groups, may contact her at the police station.

The Second Ward has three separate Neighborhood Watch groups, each being very neighborhood-oriented and only covering a small section of their ward.  One covers the Elizabeth Street area, another covers the Kellogg/Prospect/Neversink area, and a third covers the Washington Avenue area. The contact person for the Kellogg Avenue group is Michele_Golding@yahoo.com.  Angeloni may be contacted about forming or joining other Second Ward groups.

The Third Ward group maintains a website at www.pjneighborhoodwatch.org and also posts information from other ward groups, such as safety information, links, and reports of criminal activities. The contact person for the Third Ward is John Wortmann, who may be contacted at www.john@pjneighborhoodwatch.org, or Angeloni may be contacted at the police station.

The Fourth Ward group meets monthly.  Members may be spotted easily as they wear bright, lime green Neighborhood Watch shirts when they patrol regularly throughout their ward.  The persons to contact in the Fourth Ward are Todd Kowinsky at 858-7976 or Terry Sickles at 858-5915.   Two other groups also exist in small numbers in the Fourth Ward.  One covers an area between Church Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and another covers the Minisink Avenue area.  For information on any of these groups, residents may contact Angeloni at the police station.

The most common issues addressed by Neighborhood Watch groups citywide are concerns over drug dealing, speeding in neighborhoods, absentee landlord problems/nuisance tenants, noise complaints, youths skateboarding, walking in the street, and general quality of life issues.

“Issues tend to repeat themselves within individual wards,” said Angeloni, who echoed Worden’s call for citizen involvement.  “Our officers cannot be everywhere in the city at one time, and no one knows the dynamics of a neighborhood better than the people who live there.  They pay attention to what is going on around them, and they are vested in their community.”

It is the residents of the city’s neighborhoods who notice traffic patterns to certain residences, suspicious or unrecognizable vehicles, persons hanging around whom they haven’t seen before, and other “out of the norm” activities, explained Angeloni.

“Neighborhood Watch members may hear, for example from a friend of a friend, that one piece of information we may need to solve a crime,” she said. “Reports of such activities have actually led to several arrests, based on information provided to police by watch members.”

The bottom line on Port Jervis’ Neighborhood Watch groups is that residents have the power to help control problems within their neighborhoods.  The cannot do this by personally jumping in or interfering with possible illegal or dangerous situations, but by alerting authorities who can, and are very willing to, respond to them.  By acting as the “eyes and ears of their neighborhoods”, Worden, Angeloni, and organizers of many of the Neighborhood Watch groups say citizens not only have the power to improve the quality of life on their streets and individual neighborhoods, but ultimately to make their city a better place for all.

Fourth Ward Neighborhood Watch members patrolled their neighborhoods with police and the department’s K-9 dog, Mac, this summer. (Photo by Sharon E. Siegel)

Members of the Third Ward Watch met recently and, among other topics, discussed rules governing the amount of pets Port Jervis residents are allowed to legally have, and what they must to do get permission for more than the allowed amount. (Photo by Sharon E. Siegel)