Norfolk police hosts community ‘block talk’ for local senior citizens
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk police hosted its latest effort to take back the community, as a community block talk was geared toward police hearing the most common concerns of residents in five of the city’s neighborhoods.
Wednesday’s block talk was the first of its kind and targeted senior citizens, as police sought to hear their input on their communities. Norfolk police even provided folks with a ride to and from the meeting.
“A lot of wisdom,” said Capt. Mark Posh. “A lot of these folks have been in the neighborhood for a long time. We want to make sure we include them in the conversation.”
Dozens of seniors from Braywood Manor, Meadowbrook Woods, St. Andrews, Tanners Creek and Oakmont North came out to Rosemont Middle School for a community discussion with police and the sheriff’s office.
“We’ve had some violent crime recently,” Posh said. “A bit concerning, especially to a lot of the older folks who live in the neighborhood.”
Darlene Wilson, a lifelong Norfolk resident, said she plans to be active in her community.
“I’m not going to let things slide,” Wilson told 10 On Your Side. “I’m not going to just not do anything.”
Wilson voiced her concerns about safety and the city’s youth to law enforcement Wednesday night.
“There needs to be something for the young people, especially during the summer,” she said. “They don’t have enough to do. We need to get centers. We need to get more people engaged.”
Norfolk police are taking note.
“The engagement side of things, sometimes we struggle with,” Posh said, “so we’re looking for different ways to reach out.”
One goal of the Norfolk Police Department is to connect more with its residents. NPD hopes to get its residents police academy back up and running this summer.
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