RCIPS Senior Officers Walk Through Central Scranton to Engage Residents

Yesterday, 30 September, five RCIPS officers and civilian staff joined community leaders to walk through the community of Central Scranton in the early evening to speak with residents and hear their concerns. Superintendent Angelique Howell, Chief Inspector Claudia Brady, Chief Inspector Frank Owens, Inspector Lloyd Marriott and Public Relations Officer Jacqueline Carpenter, together with community leader Dale Ramoon and other members of the Central Scranton Community Committee, strolled slowly through the neighborhood for close to two hours, engaging with adults and youth on the street and asking what kind of issues they would like the police to help them address.

“We cannot solve every problem, but we can offer to collaborate with them and try to come up with some new solutions and projects that the wider island community, especially business owners, could support,” said Superintendent Howell.

The community expressed concerns about recent violent incidents on Martin Drive and said that crimes in the neighborhood are committed by people from outside the neighborhood. When asked what kinds of community initiatives would interest them most, youth on the street told the officers that they needed work. Officers and community leaders discussed at length how the RCIPS might be able to partner with the community to bring some initiatives forward that would increase job opportunities for at-risk youth.

“I was very encouraged by our discussion and we will continue these walk-throughs on a regular basis while our Neighborhood Policing Department and Public Relations office work on longer-term initiatives,” Supt. Howell said.

Photo Caption: Supt. Angelique Howell and Community Leader Dale Ramoon during a discussion with a resident in Central Scranton – Charles Duncan Cayman Compass