Dealing with Scavengers

It is ashame that the two scavenger proposed bylaws were not passed by town meeting. Due to fear and ignorance, many town meeting members just don't understand the repercussions that can happen for not voting for a bylaw to deal with the scavenger issues. Once again, many town residents will have to take matters into their hands in dealing with some scavengers who won't leave a homeowner's property when asked to do so. It would have been nice to have a bylaw in place for residents to call the for assistance and support. The city of Worcester has a scavenger law where violators are ticketed by the police department.

It is a public safety issue for children when scavengers go through homeowners' garbage and recycling bins in the neighborhoods. I think it will take a serious incident to happen when a child is injured or traumatized for the town to do something about this issue. The outcry from some town meeting members that there have been a few isolated incidents is simply not true. The real issue is that there are more incidents of scavenging happening, but are just not reported in the public limelight. The statistics are skewed as many residents are taking matters in their own hands.

For example, I had a scavenger go through my garbage where my spouse told the scavenger to get away. Since my husband is a power lifter, the scavenger did not argue with him. I did not report this incident to the police as we took care of this matter on our own.

One solution may be for neighborhoods to develop their own "Neighborhood Watch Groups" to monitor and to report incidents of scavenging to the police department. Maybe the town can offer a safety program for residents on public access television on how to deal with scavengers in their neighborhoods.

I believe in being proactive and not reactive in dealing with issues affecting our safety and protection of our children.