It was another full house in Farrell on Tuesday, where the newly formed community task force is fighting to take back their city and signing up to take part in neighborhood watch groups around the region.
"We're going to break into groups," said Farrell Mayor Olive McKeithan. "Like housing, recreation, activities for kids, and safety."
Local law enforcement admit they can't be everywhere all the time, and have already stretched budgets and manpower thin. So they need the citizens to be their ears and eyes.
"You need to call us," said Dan Oster with Southwest Regional Police Department. "You need to let us know when you hear things, see things, or we can't do anything about it after the fact."
Pennsylvania State Police have pledged to help as much as they can. In fact, state troopers assisted in saturation patrols in Farrell over the weekend that netted several DUI and drug arrests, as well as parole violations and traffic citations. But many in the crowd said they feel more police and more arrests won't solve any problems.
"Everybody's happy people are being arrested, that is not the answer," said Rev. Robert Stewart of Farrell. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, all that money you're spending for prevention and arrests is not the answer."
Fr. Gregory Maturi, from St. Dominic Church in Youngstown, spoke about the transformation happening on the South Side of Youngstown thanks to Operation Redemption. And how the power of prayer can go a long way to restore hope and faith in a community.
"The way you get rid of bad activity is to bring in good activity," Maturi said. "That displaces it."
Residents can leave anonymous tips by calling Crime Solvers of Mercer County at (724) 983-6780. Or by sending a text, including the word "MERCER" to "CRIMES" (274637).
