Posted by Lisa Strawbridge - email
TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Residents of the Crossgates neighborhood have scheduled their first block watch meeting. South Toledo mom Tricia Dzierwa says she's had enough and wants to spark change in the neighborhood.
The Dzierwa home has been robbed twice since 2003. Now she's taking action by going door-to-door and trying to organize a neighborhood block watch group. Dzierwa says she didn't even know her neighbors before trying to organize the group, but she's finding support.
They are meeting for the first time at 7 p.m. Monday, August 16 at the St. Andrew United Methodist Church on Heatherdowns.
Crossgates resident Andrew Dybala would like to see a block watch group come together. "I think it'd be a good idea to do that," he said. "I've had my house broken into a couple of years ago. They got quite a bit of stuff from me."
Another supporter of the group is Council Member Mike Collins who lives in the neighborhood and represents the neighborhood on council. "I think that promotes stability and, quite frankly from the law enforcement perspective, that's absolutely critical because the neighbors are really the eyes and ears of the police department."
Dzierwa says her goal is to add those extra eyes and ears on the streets. "I think we will make a difference in our neighborhood to reduce crime -- the small, petty stuff; the big stuff; the stuff that makes people scared at night. That's what I want gone."
