Jim Thorpe officials are hoping that a new community program will help police catch criminals and keep the crime rate to a minimum.
Over the next few days, beginning this evening, residents in the borough can expect to find their neighbors, as well as police officers, delivering brochures explaining about the new Jim Thorpe Community Watch program. The program, which has been in the works for the last month, is designed to have residents serve as the eyes and ears of the police department.
Mayor Michael Sofranko said that the idea came out of the community meetings that were held earlier this year.
At that time, about 20 people signed up to volunteer their time and form the community watch.
"We took the residents' concerns into consideration when figuring out what to do," Sofranko said. "The Jim Thorpe Community Watch is a community outreach program. The police can't be everywhere, so we're hoping that if a criminal knows that people are watching, it will be a deterrent."
Police Chief Joseph Schatz added "it's a good program because we need more eyes and ears in the borough. This will be an asset to the Jim Thorpe Police Department."
Following the initial meetings, it was decided that the program would need a p