ASHLAND – A recently formed Neighborhood Watch group has planned a Neighborhood Block Party for Tuesday, Aug. 1, to help spread the word and get the community involved.
In conjunction with the annual National Night Out event, the block party will give residents the chance to meet Ashland police and firefighters, along with an opportunity to find out more about the Ashland Neighborhood Watch group.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie, which also are the focus of the Neighborhood Watch.
Ashland resident Nancy Wasen spearheaded the formation of the Neighborhood Watch for Ashland after seeing issues in her Fourth Ward neighborhood, especially a drug bust on Pleasant Street earlier this year.
“After finding needles in my neighborhood, and when I saw that that house, which used to be a beautiful house, which is right around the corner from me, when I saw what was going on there, I asked around. Other towns had neighborhood watches. So I thought, ‘What do I do?’” Wasen said.
What she did was contact Fourth Ward City Councilwoman Sandra Tunnell, who had worked with Wasen on other projects in the past. Tunnell connected Wasen with Ashland Police Chief Dave Marcelli who helped facilitate the creation of the Neighborhood Watch.
The group met for the first time in April and continues to meet once a month, with 20 to 30 people at each meeting.
“The biggest takeaway I’ve had is people seem really reluctant to call the police when they see something. They think they’re bothering the police because we’ve explained to them how understaffed the police department is,” Tunnell said. “It’s true. But we’ve had many different police officers sit in our meetings and they’ve all said, ‘Call.’”
Residents have responded from all four wards but Wasen hopes to get even more people involved.
“Some people want it (neighborhood watch) to happen in their neighborhood but they don’t want to get involved. All you have to do is sign up to say that if you see something you’re going to say something,” Wasen said.
“You don’t have to do anything. You just have to watch,” Tunnell said.
Once someone signs up for the Neighborhood Watch, they are given the contact information for their ward’s captain. The identity of anyone who contacts the Neighborhood Watch will be kept confidential.
Wasen said she hopes to get more young people involved with the watch.
“Younger people need to be aware, we all need to be aware,” Wasen said. “We all know that things go on in Ashland that go on everywhere. We’re not immune from it. But we can make a difference just from looking out for each other.”
Those who see suspicious activity should not call 911, but the number to call is 419-289-1911, the non-emergency number for the Ashland Police. Also, the department has a number for confidential tips: 419-289-COPS (2677).
The block party will also feature a drawing for a safety prize, free child fingerprint kits and a sidewalk chalk contest. The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. at Corner Park. In the event of rain, the event will take place at the Ashland Police Department.
