Citizens On Patrol Course To Be Offered In Parkville

PARKVILLE, MD — Is your neighborhood interested in starting a Citizens on Patrol program? A workshop this week will help provide guidance for those who want to implement this crime-fighting tool in their areas. It will also serve as a refresher for those who are already involved in such a program.

There are about 100 Citizens on Patrol groups in Baltimore County, according to the police department. A group can have as few as two members, and the goal is to serve as the eyes and ears of the community and communicate with police.

Officer Jason Goorevitz is going to offer a course about the Citizens on Patrol program Tuesday, Jan. 28, before the Parkville Police Community Relations Council meeting. The council consists of community members, business persons and other interested citizens who meet each month to discuss public safety in the community.

This month's meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Christus Victor Lutheran Church, 9833 Harford Road. The course on starting a Citizens on Patrol program will be at 6 p.m. and last about 40 minutes, according to a statement from Councilman David Marks, whose district includes Perry Hall and the Parkville precinct.

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"I share the deep concern felt by many of my constituents about the recent crime wave that began in Baltimore City but is now affecting Baltimore County," Marks said in a statement. "We can assist our police by bolstering neighborhood watch programs and community partnerships, such as we have done in Seven Courts."

Marks organized a meeting to discuss launching a Citizens on Patrol program in the Seven Courts area last March, citing residents' concerns about "crime in the densely-populated Seven Courts Drive corridor" and hoping to seize it as "an opportunity to lend support to our police."

In November, Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt commended the Seven Courts community for its efforts.