"Forming this Public Safety Advisory Committee was a commitment I made to the community years," said City Council Member Gloria Martin-Roberts. "This advisory committee is invaluable to helping our community work as a solidified village in protecting the health, safety and welfare of our citizens."

Reed said the Public Safety Advisory Committee is broken down into five subcommittees which represent key issues that require attention. The committees include:

• Court Watch Program (A program designed to track the judicial processing of persons who have committed crimes in particular areas)

• Public Education (Includes how to respond to police during tense situations, with a focus on training youth and parents on their rights and the appropriate response when interacting with law enforcement)

• Recruitment Committee (Responsible for ensuring that our recruitment process fosters inclusiveness and allows for the hiring of a public safety workforce that represents our entire community)

• Citizen’s Police Academy (Responsible for oversight of a course designed to educate city residents to the inner workings of the Police Bureau and, in general, law enforcement)

• Chaplain Program (Designed to provide spiritual intervention for those citizens who are experiencing a catastrophic event)

Reed said the Committee will work directly with Michael Parker, the City’s new Community Policing Coordinator. Parker previously served in the same capacity and is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Appointed members of the Public Safety Advisory Committee include
• Doug Walker (Capital Area Neighbors NCW(Chairman)
• Chris Dick (Bellevue Park NCW) Secretary

• Walter Danny Arzon (Shipoke Crime Watch Chairman, Harrisburg Court Watch Chairman)
• Leon W. Green (Swatara Street NCW)
• Lori Kint (Midtown NCW)
• Eddie M. Davis (Holly Street Association NCW)
• Peter Krehler (South Allison Hill Residents Association)
• Wendy Lyons (Landmark Neighborhood Organization NWC)
• John Harris (Woodbine NCW)
• Janine M. Legg (Radnor-Kelker / Penn-Green NCW)
• Sarah Galbraith (Hardscrapple NCW)
• Jason Rissler (Weed & Seed Coordinator)
• C.J. Elder (Hardscrapple NCW)
• Alex Reber (Capital Area Neighbors NCW)
• Claire Powers (Riverside United Neighbors NCW)
• Gloria J. King-Monroe (Reel Street NCW)
• Don Barnett (Capital Heights NCW)
• Jan Carson (New Fox Ridge NCW)
• Nikki Williams (Olde Uptown Crime Watch Group)
• Nicole Borda (Harrisburg Young Professionals)
• Todra Payne
• Rose Given (Village People NCW)
• Pastor Ronald L. Taliafero (Rose of Sharon Baptist Church)
• Pastor William Jones (Reclaim the Streets Ministries)
• Pete Washington
• Sara Bozich (Friends of Midtown NCW)
• Jeffry Jacox (Hoverter Homes Residents Association)
• Elissa Adams (Governor’s Square Apartments)
• Pat Morton
• Linda Cammack (Schreinerstown Crime Watch)
• Wynefer Harris (1900 Block of Zarker Street NCW)
• Hazel Lewis (B’nai Brith Apartments NCW)
• Linda Figueroa (Community Action Commission)
• Terrence Webb

The Harrisburg Southern Gateway

The Harrisburg Southern Gateway project, located in Pennsylvania’s Capital City, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, entails the redevelopment of an area in South Harrisburg that has the potential to extend and double the size of the Downtown, creating: • 3.6-million square feet (SF) of new Class A office/research space, • 250,000 SF of new commercial space, • 500,000 SF of new housing, • 4,000 new parking spaces, • $1.5-billion of private investment, and • 6,500 professional jobs within the City, and potentially thousands more throughout the region. The Southern Gateway Project presents the possibility for a national model for sustainable urban redevelopment. The site occupies a 26 acre brownfield site at the southern tip of the landlocked downtown. Because of its location, which includes a proposed regional commuter rail station, two blocks from City Hall, four blocks from the Harrisburg Transportation Center, and in close proximity to the State Capitol, the Southern Gateway project has the potential to be the 20-year economic engine for the City of Harrisburg, the Greater Harrisburg Region, and all of Central Pennsylvania

Harrisburg Community, we are always willing to help out a neighbor when the time arises by working together to save lives and property. Meet with your neighbors to plan how the neighborhood could work together after a disaster until help arrives.

If you’re a member of a neighborhood organization, such as a home association or crime watch group, introduce disaster preparedness as a new activity. It would be beneficial for your neighborhood to invite the local authorities (Fire, Police, EMS, and Emergency Management) to your meetings. These agencies are trained for different types of incidents and can offer suggestions to your disaster plan.

Know your neighbors special skills (medical, technical) and consider how you could help neighbors who have special needs, such as any disabled and/or elderly persons. Make plans for childcare in case parents can’t get home.