By http://www.middletownjournal.com/staff/rick-mccrabb/" rel="nofollow - Rick McCrabb
Staff Writer
Thirty-eight years ago, Ron Van Arsdale is back where it all started.
He is overseeing the Middletown Neighborhood Watch program, a responsibility he held in 1975 when he was head of the crime prevention unit for the Middletown Division of Police.
“I was the only member of the unit,” he said. “I was the unit.”
Van Arsdale is back to kick start Neighborhood Watch in Middletown again. Now, he is retired and the program is being organized under the Coalition for a Healthy Middletown. He was named coordinator earlier this year and will host an informational meeting Tuesday at the Middletown Senior Center.
Revival of the Neighborhood Watch program is being funded through a Drug Free Communities Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Office Administration and Office of National Drug Control Policy. Fiscal agent for that grant is the Safety Council of Southwestern Ohio.
Kristy Duritsch, executive director of the Safety Council, said the organization’s mission is to save lives and prevent injuries through education and partnerships. Through a Drug Free Communities Grant and the partnership with the Middletown police department, she hopes to “recharge” the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Van Arsdale said he wants to “recycle” the program and bring it back to life.
“It has a lot of history, but we will start from scratch,” he said. “It’s still a grassroots movement and will not be imposed on anyone. It’s got to come from the people in the neighborhoods asking for it.”
Tuesday’s meeting is for residents who want to learn more about the program, according to Van Arsdale.
HOW TO GO
What: Middletown Neighborhood Watch Program informational meeting
When: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Middletown Senior Center, 3907 Central Ave.
More info: 513-423-9758