Officials seek volunteers for Salem crime watch

The program makes people more aware of what’s around them.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — Wanted: people with eyes and ears and a telephone.

That’s what’s needed for a volunteer effort that’s under way to start a new crime-watch program in Salem and Perry Township.

A crime-watch program in the city faded away years ago, city officials have said.

The new effort was recently sparked by Mayor-elect Jerry Wolford. He knew Janet Gemmill of Salem, who helped develop what is now the Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade. She eventually moved to Salem to be near her family.

Miami-Dade is the name of the county in Florida and includes 35 municipalities, according to Carmen Caldwell, the present executive director of the agency there. The Miami-Dade program has had as many 1.5 million people involved in the program at one point.

Gemmill said when she left as chairwoman of the board, the program had 270,000 volunteers. That’s more than twice the population of Columbiana County, which is about 103,000 people.

When she began as a volunteer, “I organized my neighborhood and worked my way up quickly,” Gemmill said.

She got involved because the “pillowcase rapist” was at large in the Miami area. He wore a pillowcase over his head while he raped his victims.

“I lived in a pretty safe area,” Gemmill said. But when she heard of the crime-watch program, “I thought it made sense. Be prepared.”

The program doesn’t really focus on crime after dark, because that’s when people are at home.

She said some 65 percent of all burglaries are committed during the day when many people are at work, she said. But retired people, stay-at-home moms and others can keep an eye on things.

Beside burglaries, the most often reported crimes overall are thefts and robberies, Gemmill said.

The second of two meetings was recently held in Salem to explain the program. The two sessions were attended by a total of about 38 people.

Gemmill said that those who attended will be the leaders who will help set up and train people for more watches.

Information on crimes or other activities can be passed up or down a phone chain to keep people informed, Gemmill said.

Another benefit of the crime-watch program is that it changes people: “No matter where you are, you are always aware of what’s going on around you,” Gemmill said.

Salem Police Chief Robert Floor and Perry Township Police Chief Roy Stone are in favor of the program.

What isn’t needed, Floor said, are vigilantes.

Flood added that people who see a crime should report it to police.

The city and township have been seen an increase in drug-related crimes in recent years. Stone said most of those problems are occurring in the southern portion of the county.

Crime is actually down in the township this year, Stone added.

wilkinson@vindy.com