Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Neighborhood groups urge civility, ask residents to think before calling police for non-emergencies

A row of houses in Midtown

Harrisburg neighborhood groups are hoping that during a time of national division, there will be local civility.

Nine neighborhood and community organizations have signed and posted on social media a letter to Harrisburg residents, asking them to consider refraining from calling the police on their neighbors for non-emergency situations.

“The idea is that people might try other solutions rather than dialing the police for minor things,” said Annie Hughes, president of Friends of Midtown.

The Midtown Action Council spearheaded the effort, building off of letters neighborhood groups published in past months, such as in Shipoke and Midtown.

Hughes referenced a recent incident when police responded to a noise complaint in Shipoke. The situation quickly escalated and ended with a resident’s arrest.

“We were trying to think, what can we do to draw peoples’ awareness towards the impact of calling the police,” Hughes said.

In the letter, organizations like Friends of Midtown, South Allison Hill Homeowners and Residents Association, Shipoke Neighborhood Association and Capitol Area Neighbors, among others, urged the community to get to know their neighbors. They said that building relationships can help so that, when there is conflict, residents can discuss it and resolve it themselves.

“Including the police in non-emergencies not only drains essential community resources, it can further escalate conflict or even lead to harmful outcomes,” the letter reads.

Beck Joyner, of Camp Curtin Neighborhoods United, said this can be especially harmful for Black people who may be treated unfairly by the police.

“Calling the police, in particular on African Americans, can lead to them being hurt or bullied,” she said. “It’s disgraceful.”

Additionally, Hughes said calling 9-1-1 for non-emergency issues takes away police resources for emergency situations.

For disputes that cannot be resolved between neighbors, the letter suggests contacting a local neighborhood organization, Neighborhood Dispute Services, a local mediation center, or calling the city Helpdesk at 3-1-1 for city service or code issues.

Hughes hopes that neighborhood groups can continue providing resources, such as these to residents more frequently.

“This isn’t the end-all solution,” Hughes said. “It’s the beginning.”

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