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The Westcott Neighborhood Association held a public meeting with Syracuse elected officials and agency representatives to field public safety concerns from residents and other Syracuse community members Tuesday afternoon.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens and Police Chief Joseph Cecile, along with other city officials, gathered at the Erwin First United Methodist Church to collect written and verbal questions from attendees about neighborhood crime. Residents primarily asked about Syracuse’s recent uptick in property crime and motor theft.

Owens said the purpose of the meeting was to listen to residents’ thoughts on law enforcement policies, inform the public about ongoing police efforts and review proper emergency precautions. The panelists delivered opening remarks before opening the floor to audience questions.

“We’ve heard from the neighbors in the Westcott neighborhood that there are some concerns around some vandalism, burglaries, even some strongarm type of activity,” Owens said. “This is a great opportunity for us to hear from the larger community.”

Lt. Benjamin Conklin, an officer with the Syracuse Police Department, said that while property crime is up 24.2% and motor vehicle theft is up 70% throughout the city compared to this time last year, violent crime is down 27.6%.

Ryla Daley, a resident of Westcott Street, expressed concerns about repeat juvenile offenders in her neighborhood, whom she said were reported multiple times for crimes such as robbery, car theft, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Daley said SPD should do more to address the increase in crime.

“I love my community,” Daley said. “I don’t want my neighborhood to be like that. If that was my son out doing those things, I would want someone to do something about it.”

Syracuse City Common Councilor Corey Williams, who represents the city’s third district including Westcott, said WNA came to him hoping to have a standalone meeting on recent issues of crime and policing in city neighborhoods. Williams said he worked with Sam Gruber, co-president of WNA, and the deputy mayor to set up Tuesday’s meeting.

The council wanted to ensure the forum featured representation from all levels of city government, including state delegations and education department officials, Williams said.

“The neighborhood communicated their desire to have a change and a shift in the way that things are operating,” Williams said.

Multiple residents claimed that, due to local police shortages over recent years, on-the-ground policing in their neighborhood has decreased significantly. They said this understaffing, as well as increasing crime rates, has caused unease.

Some attendees brought up concerns about communication between citizens and police officers. They claimed police did not follow up on investigations of housing reports, dangerous vehicle hazards, repeat offenders bypassing jail time and reimbursement for property destruction.

“We can be better at doing that follow-up because, this is a terrible thing, and then you’re sitting there wondering, ‘What happens next? Have they made any arrests?’” Cecile said in response. “Moving forward, we just have to streamline that process.”

Another main point during the meeting was the number of recent vehicular crimes in the neighborhood, such as carjackings, motorcycle street racing and other safety concerns about ticketing and electric rental scooters.

Attendees also raised concern with the behavior of Syracuse University students living in their neighborhoods, which they said has caused noise disturbances.

One resident brought attention to the influx of new apartment buildings, which has left some houses in the community vacant as university students move into the complexes. One of the residents said the empty houses are a common site for criminal activity.

Closing the meeting, Conklin said the goal of the meeting was to maintain an open line of communication between SPD and the neighborhoods it serves. The department uses community feedback to allocate resources effectively and stay updated on any potential threats, he said.

“Progress is never going to be in a nice straight line,” Conklin said. “We have seen some setbacks, but we still have headed in the right direction.”

Published on September 18, 2024 at 12:17 am

Contact Kate: kjacks19@syr.edu