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Easton held its inaugural crime symposium Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. John’s Evangelical Church, enabling citizens to gather information about fighting area crime.
The symposium was organized by Easton residents Terrance Hand; Michael Krill; Roger Ruggles, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; and city Councilman Dan Corpora.
Panelists included Lafayette public safety director Hugh Harris, Northampton Country District Attorney John Morganelli, Judge Stephen Baratta, District Judge Gay Elwell, Block Watch president Brian Otto, Weed and Seed coordinator Nadine Loane, ALERT partnership program manager Mike Adams, Easton Area School Board member Pat Vulcano, Easton police Lt. John Remaley, 911 director Richard Teasdale, and Deputy Sheriff George Volpe.
Ruggles believes the symposium was extremely beneficial and stresses the importance of future gatherings.
“I believe the panelists were a necessity. Attendees could then put a face to a name and get some familiarity with a district attorney, a judge, or a 911 dispatcher,” he says. “Seeing a face and actually talking to someone allows the public to understand the system a bit more.
“We’re intending for this to be an ongoing process. I believe that we’d like to plan some smaller symposiums around the city and make this a continuing event so that people have the ability to gain information as their area needs it.”
The symposium idea sprung from the “A Bridge to Hope” march, which was held in January after the fatal shooting of Easton resident Jason Oliver.
Harris, who served on the enforcement panel with representatives from the Easton Police Department and the county 911 center, explained to the group what the role of the public safety department is at the College and how it interacts with the Easton Police Department and other public safety groups in Easton. He also discussed how its jurisdiction interfaces with that of the city police.
“Lafayette’s public safety department cooperates with the city safety groups to help facilitate their crime prevention and enforcement efforts,” says Harris. “We are very pleased with the cooperation that we receive and have received from city agencies, including the police, fire, public works, emergency squad, codes, and health departments. We work with them closely and have a very positive working relationship.”
“Lafayette is part of the Easton community. Anything that impacts the Easton community impacts the College community. The symposium is nothing but a positive thing for Lafayette,” adds Ruggles.