ONEONTA _ The Oneonta Police Department will host a free crime-prevention seminar at 6 p.m. Wednesday for city residents.
The event is an outgrowth of interest last year in a neighborhood watch program, Fourth Ward Alderman Michael Lynch said Sunday night.
Although a neighborhood watch was never formed, there was recognition that the police department could share information and work with city residents to prevent crime in the city, Lynch said.
"I think what people want is more information to keep their home safe," Lynch said.
Oneonta is considered by many to be a safe community, but that doesn't mean people should keep their car and home doors unlocked, Lt. Dennis Nayor said last week.
"We don't live in that type of world," he said.
The meeting will be held at Craven Lounge in the Morris Conference Center on the State University College at Oneonta campus. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the event is limited to the first 125 people because of available space, Nayor said.
The event, expected to last about an hour, is open only to city residents, he said.
Chief Joseph Redmond and Sgt. Andrew Thomas are also expected to attend, Nayor said.
"We'll hopefully be able to answer any questions," he said, as the seminar is a chance for the police department to be proactive rather than reactive.
Another goal of the seminar, he said, is to introduce people to the police department and explain how investigations are conducted and what people can do to help the police.
Pamphlets and brochures will be available, he said.
The interest from last year was spurred in part by a spate of residential burglaries, Lynch said.
Lynch said there is also room to improve the ties between police and residents, and the seminar should help provide a forum to explain what residents can expect from police, as well as how they can help police.
"I think we need to build some stronger relationships between the police and the residents," Lynch said.
Lynch said the city, which has about 13,000 residents, remains a relatively safe place to live, and the seminar only seeks to make it safer.
"It's not a response to runaway crime," he said.
In 2008, there were 1,478 crimes reported to the Oneonta Police Department, including 86 burglaries, 244 larcenies and 212 criminal mischief complaints. City police made 829 arrests in 2008, including 579 for violations, 190 for misdemeanors and 60 for felonies.
The figures are comparable to previous years.
Much of the crime in Oneonta is the result of someone seeing an opportunity and taking advantage of it, Nayor said, and in many cases, simple precautions could have prevented crime.
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