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<b>First Posted:</b> 3/11/2008<br><br>By Terrie Morgan-Besecker tmorgan@www.timesleader.comLaw &amp; Order Reporter 
 WILKES-BARRE &amp;ndash; The  Crime Watch Coalition is circulating a petition in hopes of convincing police to continue attending the group&amp;rsquo;s meetings and restore a policy of releasing crime statistics by neighborhoods.

Charlotte Raup, the coalition&amp;rsquo;s director, said members want Mayor Tom Leighton and police Chief Gerry Dessoye to reconsider their recent decision to stop sending an officer or other city representative to monthly Crime Watch meetings.
Equally important, Raup said, are efforts to convince Dessoye to rescind his 2005 decision to stop releasing reports that show the number and types of crimes committed within the various patrol zones.
 Those reports had been available to the public for years. But Dessoye halted the release, saying he felt the information might compromise police safety by letting criminals know in which areas officers are concentrating efforts.
The Times Leader filed a lawsuit against the city in October 2005, alleging Dessoye was violating the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law by withholding the reports. The case is pending in Luzerne County Court. 
Raup said she has continued to lobby to get at least partial information from the reports, arguing the data is crucial to heightening residents&amp;rsquo; awareness. 
&amp;ldquo;We just want to know what&amp;rsquo;s going on. We can&amp;rsquo;t work efficiently if we don&amp;rsquo;t know what&amp;rsquo;s going on, what to look for and what patterns there are,&amp;rdquo; she said.
Raup said police have repeatedly denied the request and have cited The Times Leader&amp;rsquo;s lawsuit as one of the reasons for the denial.
&amp;ldquo;They said if they give it to us then everyone will want it,&amp;rdquo; Raup said. &amp;ldquo;If everyone wants it, let them come to a crime watch meeting.&amp;rdquo;
Leighton did not return a phone message left with spokeswoman Bridget Giunta on Monday.
The petition was suggested by Pat Gazenski of the South Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch. Crime Watch members plan to present the petition to council at its next meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at city hall.
&amp;ldquo;There is strength in numbers. If the city realizes this is the peoples&amp;rsquo; wish, maybe they will reconsider,&amp;rdquo; Gazenski said.
What&amp;rsquo;s Next

Members of the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition will circulate the petition this week. It will be presented at council&amp;rsquo;s meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at city hall. A copy of the petition can be downloaded at  www.wbcrimewatch.org. For information, contact the Crime Watch at (570) 208-8900.


    

Terrie Morgan-Besecker, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7179

Coalition wants police at meetings