Orange county community summit called to help keep crime low

Crime in Orange County is on the decline, officials say — and law enforcement wants to work with residents to keep it that way.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Hillsborough Police Department will cohost a community summit tonight.

Law enforcement officials and community members will gather at the Durham Tech Orange County campus at 7 p.m. to discuss residents’ concerns and ways to deter crime.

“The lines of communication are always important, and in order for us to do our jobs, we have to find out what areas we have to work on,” said Hillsborough Police Cpl. Tereasa King.

Butch Clark, deputy corporal of the sheriff’s office, said the community does a good job reporting suspicious activities.

“There was a 5 percent decrease in criminal activity last year,” he said.

But Clark said it is still important to work on informing citizens about nearby events and getting them to report suspicious activity immediately.

“We can’t be everywhere all the time and we need the citizens to provide information,” Clark said. “It’s the biggest deterrent to crime that we have.”

During the summer, the county’s sheriff office compiled information from community watch groups and held joint meetings with the Hillsborough Police Department.

As different jurisdictions, the departments must keep each other informed and provide back up when needed, Clark said.

“We have people on the Chapel Hill line and we work together,” he said.

During the summit, attendees will write their top concerns on index cards and suggest areas police could improve on. The department will compile the information and work from there.

Chapel Hill resident Penelope Sampson said the homeless population and the lack of police patrol at night are concerns she wants to see law enforcement address.

“I wait for taxis five nights a week but I never see a cop,” she said. “The police should monitor Franklin Street after dark more.”

Elena Clark, a University graduate student, said she worries about small thefts in Chapel Hill.

“I think the community should definitely watch out for petty thefts,” she said.

Hodding Carter, a professor of public policy at the University, said he has noticed more police presence around his neighborhood and doesn’t really have any complaints.

He said he tells his neighbors of unusual or suspicious activities.

“Law enforcement depends heavily on the cooperation of the public,” Carter said.

Elena Clark said she thinks people lack incentive to report small crimes.

But residents should tell police when they see suspicious activity, King said.

“Communication is the key.”

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