Chief: Residences Hard to Identify

It's frustrating when a home or business is hard to find because it lacks exterior identification. But for police officers, the lack of numbering on homes or businesses can cause delays in responding to emergencies; delays which can potentially have serious consequences. 

Hellertown Police Chief Robert Shupp told borough council members Tuesday that many homes in Hellertown are currently unidentifiable by officers, because the numbers which should be mounted or painted on their exteriors are either missing or obscured.

"People either don't have numbers on them or they're kind of hidden behind bushes," he said.

Hellertown's Zoning and Codes Enforcement Officer Joe Chernaskey concurred, and estimated that "probably 50 percent of the houses don't have them."

Chernaskey said that the size and stroke for numbers used to identify addresses are a subject addressed by the borough's code.

Coincidentally, borough council is presently undertaking a re-examination of its zoning and codes, thanks to its receipt of a grant obtained by State Rep. Bob Freeman's office, Borough Council President Phil Weber said at the meeting.

Weber recommended that the issue of obscured or missing street numbers be addressed in conjunction with that review process, which will be handled by council members and borough staff over the next six weeks.

Other areas of zoning and codes which will be researched and reviewed include: business regulation and licensing; fire prevention; garage sales; moving permits; property maintenance; rental properties; soil erosion; streets and sidewalks; and taxation.

At the meeting, Weber also asked Shupp about the potential for restarting regular block watch meetings again.

Shupp confirmed that his department hopes to begin regular meetings this spring, and explained that one of the reasons they were temporarily discontinued was declining attendance.

Since many of the attendees of the meetings in the past have been senior citizens, he said "we're thinking about moving block watch to them."

Instead of being held at Borough Hall, the meetings would be rotated between Saucon Manor, Saucon Valley Manor and the Front Street Apartments, which are all high-rises or mid-rises for seniors.

In the past, block watch meetings have been led by a borough police officer and have included special presentations about subjects such as identity theft.