| McSheffery said that while illegal drugs are a problem, so are prescription drugs like Vicodin and Xanax.
With addiction comes a ripple effect, he said, leading to theft from not only strangers, but also family.
Cox said it also leads to violence when bigger city dealers set up shop in Fayette County. That ultimately results in territorial disputes with local drug dealers, he said.
Jablonsky, who works in a department with two full-time and two part-time officers, said that many children find themselves sucked into the drug world by the desire for money, and no adequate parental supervision and guidance.
Cox said that many children who get into trouble are a product of the environments in which they are raised.
"We have a large group of parents who, let's face it, are failing as parents," he said.
At the beginning of the school year, Ryan said he dealt with one 8-year-old boy who ran out of his elementary school. Ryan said he tracked the child down and talked to him, explaining the benefits of school.
An hour later, Ryan said the child held his hand as they walked back into the school building.
Now, that child is in an alternative school, he said.
"I don't call him a bad kid; he's the product of bad parents," Ryan said.
McSheffery said that many parents don't teach their children discipline and respect. One yearly, positive, 10-minute interaction with police is not going to overcome that hurdle, he said.
The result can become generational crime, he said, where grandfather, father and son end up in trouble.
Ryan, who has a complement of five full-time and five part-time officers, said oftentimes, parents who see police will tell their children things like, "If you don't be good he's going to arrest you."
That, he said, starts in instill fear of police into children, when what parents should do is help their children realize that police are there to help.
In Uniontown, where there are 20 officers, Cox said there are parents who forbid their children from talking to police when they drive past. So from a young age, those children are taught to distrust police and many carry it throughout life, he said.
"It's really a hard hurdle to overcome," Cox said, noting that children ultimately learn to hide from police instead of relying on them.
McSheffery said that having police in the community, being able to forge those relationships with youngsters, is an effective way to help foster positive attitudes.
McSheffery said that the city officers try to engage in community policing by doing things like fingerprinting pre-school age children or giving talks in schools about issues like seatbelt safety.
He said that he's seen crime decrease with personalized policing that reaches out into the community.
To do that effectively, all of the chiefs said they could use more officers.
Connellsville's department currently has 15 members, and McSheffery, like his colleagues, said that more manpower would be better.
All of the chiefs also acknowledged their respective communities don't have the funds to do that. In an effort to add to the force they have, some said they sought grants.
Cox noted that there has been a spike in violent crime in the area, with police responding to more calls of shots being fired, assaults and robberies in the past few years.
"We are in a rural environment, but we see inner city problems," he said.
McSheffery agreed.
"You're on a limited budget, but still try to stay trained to handle the same things as in the big cities," he said.
The chiefs also addressed the effectiveness of neighborhood watches.
Jablonsky said that in Brownsville, the watches have made a difference in deterring crime and helping police make arrests.
"The community has got to be with us," he said. "We can't be out there on every street, every minute of every day."
He and the other chiefs urged people to keep the watches going - and to call for police when something's out of the ordinary.
"If it looks a little unusual or out of place, call 911," McSheffery said.
Both he and Ryan said they've had residents tell them they didn't want to bother the police.
"We have people who call 13 times a day for a barking dog. If you see four guys in a car at 3 a.m., call us," McSheffery said. "Call any time you have any doubt. We won't get mad. + That's what we're there for."
Ryan agreed.
"We would rather find nothing going on + than investigate a burglary the next day," he said.
Cox said that simple things - like exchanging contact information with neighbors so you can all watch out for one another - can be a tremendous help.
"It's really important to have that individual commitment for your own safety," he said. "It takes a large group to have eyes and ears."
The forum was the third held to discuss topics related to crime in the county.
The forums are sponsored by the Herald-Standard, in conjunction with Penn State Fayette. Participants have included local and state police and other law enforcement officials from across the county. They will be held throughout the year.
The purpose of the forums is to inform and educate county residents about crime, help them to avoid becoming victims and educate people about how to help prevent crime.
Mark O'Keefe, executive editor at the newspaper, serves as moderator for the events. |
