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LARKSVILLE — Police Chief John Edwards said doing nothing in response to criminal activity is simply “not an option.”
In postings to the Larksville Borough Facebook page during the last week, Edwards informed residents of several problematic properties on Murray Street and East Broadway.
His concerns ranged from unsupervised teenagers who deem themselves as “gangsters” and are suspected of theft within the borough, to reports of narcotic sales and prostitution.
He also sent out a warning to those involved in criminal activity within the borough: “As the head of the Larksville Borough Police Department, I would like would like to welcome you to Larksville and want to assure you that every member of this department will be showing you as much attention as possible. It would be a terrible injustice if we failed to give you a proper welcome and to make our law abiding citizens aware of your presence. I again want to ensure you that we will use every ounce of lawful police authority to provide you with our services.”
Edwards said he is thinking outside of the box because he is committed to driving crime and criminals outside of the area in which he has served for 15 years, four as chief.
“Criminals within this area have three choices,” said Edwards,” they can stop being involved in criminal activity, they can leave or they can be arrested. It’s that easy.”
Edwards said he also believes his aggressive approach to crime will “get the word out” to criminals in other areas that “Larksville is not the place to lay down your head.”
He welcomes resident input and promises a quick response.
“Sometimes people are afraid to pick up the phone and call 911 if they see suspicious activity,” said Edwards, “in this borough, we want to work with residents to provide safe neighborhoods.”
He said the trust of residents is crucial to the success of the force in eliminating crime.
“These people pay taxes,” said Edwards, “our responsibility is to them.”
He also credits five full time and seven part time officers that work under him with “doing a great job.”
“Those officers are the foot soldiers,” said Edwards, “and we’re all on the same page and share the same goals.”
Edwards is in the 109th field artillery of the Army National Guard and said his three years in the military have served him well as police chief, instilling a sense of honor, commitment and service.”
“I know some of my methods are unorthodox, but we can’t just sit back,” said Edwards, “we will go to any length to keep Larksville Borough safe.”