South Hills residents create neighborhood watch group

By Amber Sipe

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — On Wednesday, residents in the South Hills area of Charleston met with members of the Charleston Police Department to launch a neighborhood watch group.

This comes after reports of a break-in at Geraniums on Bridge Road. On Wednesday, two men were also arrested after a raid at a home along Bridge Road.

Charleston Police Department Sgt. Opie Smith was at the meeting Wednesday night.

“We’ve had recent criminal activity in this area, and I think folks are finally getting fed up,” Smith said.

Don Kingery is a South Hills resident who was named the crime watch group’s leader. He said he is excited to see what they can accomplish alongside Charleston police.

“It’s pretty obvious that there’s a lot of things going on these days and a lot of people need to pool together,” Kingery said.

Charleston Police said there are now more than 30 watch groups in Charleston. Police said they are in contact with the groups daily and they send out reports of crime in the areas where these groups are established.

Police also told South Hills residents to invest in lights and cameras to protect their homes. They also said keeping bushes and trees neatly trimmed would keep people away.

As always, Charleston police reminded the public to say something if they see any suspicious activity.