The Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Town Watch met last week for the first time in 2019 and heard from a few guest speakers.
Officers Mark Mroz of the 2nd Police District and Joe Staszak of the 7th Police District provided crime updates.
“When it’s cold, crime is down,” Mroz said. “Our crime overall actually was better than anticipated. We were shooting for a 10-percent decrease in violent crime and overall crime, and we actually decreased it by 12 percent.”
Mroz and Staszak emphasized that most car thefts happen when cars are left unlocked.
“I could have a thousand cops walking around, but if you leave your door unlocked and you leave your bag in the back seat of your car and somebody sees it, they’re going to break the window,” Mroz said.
Staszak echoed his point, saying six out of seven cars that had been broken into in the 7th District in the most recent crime period had been unlocked. He said wallets, money and stereo systems were left in the unlocked cars.
Staszak encouraged neighbors to call police whenever they see anything suspicious. He said calls can be anonymous. He also thanked neighbors for donating to Toys for Tots this holiday season.
Both officers received a round of applause from community members because the meeting took place on police appreciation day, which was Jan. 9.
Secondly, neighbors heard from representatives of American Water Resources. Philadelphia Energy Authority recently partnered with AWR to offer protection programs for water and sewer lines for homeowners.
They offer plans to protect water lines, sewer lines, and both water and sewer lines, the latter of which costs $7.98 a month. AWR will offer unlimited protection and no service fees for covering repairs. They will also backfill any holes they leave, obtain necessary permits and handle inspections.
Visit AWRusa.com/Philadelphia to learn more about AWR and the programs they offer.
The next meeting will take place Feb. 13 at 7976 Oxford Ave. ••
