RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Richmond Police held an important meeting Wednesday night with neighborhood watch leaders from all over the city to discuss safety, emergency prep, and the city's crime rate so far in 2012.
The department touted record low violent crime rates so far this year at the meeting. While credit is consistently given to those in the community who have worked so well with police, neighborhood watch leaders were issued a new challenge Wednesday, to help combat property crimes, which have spiked this year police say.
Officer Sarah Powell is RPD's liaison for neighborhood watch programs city-wide, and she hosts these meetings throughout the year.
“When we get people together and we teach them when to call, how much info to give us, what kind of info to give us, it helps us, and then it helps them have a safer neighborhood and everyone’s better in the end," Powell said.
Charlotte Davis is the President of the Lincoln Muse Apartment Resident Council in the city's north side. She says she looks forward to taking what she learned from Wednesday's dialogue back to her community.
“It’s not just about crime, it’s about being a beacon for if someone has a situation," Davis said, "they don’t know where to go, come to someone who can give you the info that you need.”
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management and CERT also had representatives who spoke about different topics from hurricanes to hazmat situations.
