Old Orchard neighbors fight back against crime

Old Orchard is a quiet neighborhood; an anchor in that part of Toledo.

"It's a great community. Everybody is really active and involved," Dan Zemens, an Old Orchard homeowner said.

The people who live on those streets want to keep it that way. When they noticed a slight up tick in area crime, they were quick to spread the word and act.

"I know there have been some issues recently but it's never been something that's risen to the top of my mine," Zemens said. "It's something that people do need to be vigilant about."

According to Toledo Police, there have been five burglaries in the area since the beginning of March. In most cases, the suspects got inside by breaking a window in the back. Officers also not that the majority of the offenses happened in the afternoon.

"Rather than just sit back and talk about it, I decided to take a little initiative," said Zemens.

Now, a meeting has been set up to bring police and the community together to talk solutions.

"Crime is always a concern. We've tried to look at that from a number of angles," Councilman Tom Waniewski said. "You're never going to stop all the crime."

But councilman Waniewski points out that the neighborhood is doing the right thing, getting ahead of the issue and communicating with police and each other.

"I hope residents understand that we still live in a safe area," Waniewski said. "Old Orchard especially has got some great residents who are very active."

"I definitely think there is a motivation on their part to work hand-in-hand with the community to solve the problems before they become problems," adds Zemens.

The community safety meeting is set for April 11th at 6 p.m. It's being held at the St. Pius Family Life Center.