CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Concerns of recent crimes in the area prompted a community meeting on Charleston’s East End Thursday night.
The meeting, held at the Roosevelt Center on Ruffner Avenue, was put together by Ward 9 Councilwoman Mary Beth Hoover.
“We’ve done it before. We always try to stay proactive and stay on top of crime issues on the East End,” she said. “Two weeks ago I got a call out on our email chain on our Yahoo group and said let’s have a conversation about this because crime had been reported. So that’s what we did.”
She said some car and home break-ins had raised the concern of residents. The suspects were already in jail.
“I would put our police department against any other police department in the country,” Hoover said. “They are fantastic. Anything that I’ve ever had an issue with or contacted them about in the neighborhood I’ve gotten immediate response. And usually within a week or two that person has been caught and is behind bars.”
Another goal of the meeting, as was last week’s National Night Out held by police, was to get residents to meet their police officers and get to know them. Hoover said that alliance between cops and the community is the best way to deter crime.
“There is such a push here in Charleston for that connectivity between the community and their police department. And it’s working. It’s happening here and it’s working.”