Easton Has Seen 24 Drug Raids in 2012

If you follow the local news, you've probably seen more-than-occasional coverage of drug raids around the city.

There have been 24 of them so far this year, Easton Police Capt. Scott Casterline told members of the city block watch as it held its quarterly meeting Thursday night at the River of God Fellowship church. 

And of those 24 raids, 20 of them were prompted by calls from neighbors, add Lt. John Remaley. (There were other, smaller raids, Casterline said. The 24 he mentioned were ones involving either the city's special response team, or their counterparts from the state police.)

Casterline said it sends a message to criminals:

"You don't have to worry about the police first, you have to worry about the neighbors."

He also acknowledged that this has been a tough year for crime in Easton.

"We really did not get off to a good start this year," said the captain, who added that he sees things stablizing.

Pastor Scott Reiman, who leads the block watch, said he can't say whether the group has gotten busier with the rise in police activity, although he did say membership has grown.

Mike Plummer, another block captain from the South Side, said he thinks people have more outlets now to deal with problems.

During the meeting, he made sure to remind members that they mayor's office has a number -- 610-250-6737 -- that allows residents to report crimes and other nuisances.

"People are tired. Citizens are tired," Plummer said.

Also Thursday, the Block Watch heard from Diane Novak, a community health nurse, who's helping the city's Weed & Seed program develop something called the Front Porch Project.

It trains people to identify signs of child abuse and neglect, and how to handle them when they spot them in their neighborhood.

There are three training sessions scheduled for Easton, all taking place at the Salvation Army building at 1110 Northampton St:

• Oct. 4, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Oct. 18, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Oct. 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

To register, call 800-448-4906, or e-mail info@pa-fsa.org.