If there is a textbook way to conduct the "weed" portion of a Weed and Seed program, Mercer County is not going by the book.

But Weed and Seed, which focuses state, local and federal resources on "weeding" a targeted area -- in this case, portions of Sharon and Farrell -- of crime and "seeding" it with community programs to keep crime from returning, allows plenty of flexibility so local officials can tailor it to their area.

As conducted in other Pennsylvania cities, Weed and Seed started out of the public eye, with an undercover police operation that coincided with a sweep, a mass arrest of suspected criminals on warrants.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made it difficult to coordinate with state and federal officials who would participate in Weed and Seed, said Robert Kochems, the assistant district attorney hired to coordinate law enforcement efforts, the weed side of the program.

State police conducted an undercover operation to buy drugs from local dealers, but local officials didn't believe a sweep was the best way to work in Mercer County, he said.

"We felt we would be more effective picking these people up in the community in a staggered fashion, hoping to find other charges against them," Kochems said.

Sharon, Southwest Mercer County Regional and state police have worked in special details in which they descend on the target area and talk to people hanging out on street corners and walking the streets.

They take note of every traffic violation -- down to broken taillights and double parking -- and inform the violators of what was wrong.

In some cases, police have discovered warrants against the traffic violators, or initiated more serious charges, such as driving while their licenses are suspended.

"The first night we made five stops and made five DUS arrests," Kochems said.

Police also are walking into bars and other public places.

Since Gov. Mark S. Schweiker formally announced that Farrell and Sharon had received the Weed and Seed grant on Dec. 5, the special details have resulted in 46 arrests, 25 of them on warrants.

Of the 70 traffic stops, 35 have led to "more substantial" charges, such as DUS, Kochems said.

All traffic violators are at least issued a warning.

So far, the details have cut down on the number of people hanging out on street corners, and authorities have received no complaints about how police are conducting themselves, Kochems said.

Kochems predicted there will be complaints once police start citing teen-agers for curfew violations and getting parents out of bed to inform them their children are out.

Kochems said he hopes that not only will juveniles feel the sting of a police citation, but that their parents will mete out punishment.

Police have the authority to do what the detail patrols are doing during their regular duties, but manpower constraints often prevent them, Kochems said.

He gave the example of a policeman writing a traffic ticket when a 911 call comes in for a burglary. In Farrell, where there is little backup, the policeman is more likely to respond to the burglary than complete the ticket, he said.

The special details do not respond to 911 calls, so they have the time to deal with smaller violations, and talk to people on the street.

Calls to the district attorney's drug hotline -- 962-5713 and 662-3812 -- from Farrell and Sharon are being funneled to Weed and Seed.

"In 24 hours, that call will be investigated by somebody," Kochems said.

In some cases, police are knocking on the doors of houses where drug activity is suspected and informing the resident that someone has made a report against them, a "knock and talk" approach.

If the resident is dealing drugs, the police visit might not stop illegal activity, but it might disrupt the operation.

Kochems likened the conducting of street crime to a football game: if a defense takes an offense out of its game plan, the offensive effort is more likely to mess up.

"When you change the pattern of operation, they make mistakes," Kochems said. "We expect to do better, because they'll make mistakes."

Sharon and Farrell have police mutual aid agreements, and state police have statewide jurisdiction, allowing them to cross boundaries, which they are doing.

"When you see a Pennsylvania State Police car, or you see a Southwest car in Sharon or a Sharon car in Farrell, you know something's going on," Kochems said.

The police are not glued to their cars, and, once warmer weather arrives, they will conduct more formal foot patrols, Kochems said.

Weed and Seed resources also can be used to investigate major crimes. Shortly after the Oct. 3 shooting death of Rasceo "Angel" Riley in Farrell, Weed and Seed funds were used to conduct a "warrant sweep," resulting in 29 people being brought in for questioning.

"We used Weed and Seed to do a warrant sweep to get people off the street who might be able to tell us something," Kochems said.

Police charged Arthur N. "Oppy" Paige Jr. with killing Riley, but the charges were dismissed by District Justice Henry J. Russo, Hermitage, when a witness changed his story on the stand.

While Mercer County has adapted its own approach to the weed operation -- state police call it "Operation Triggerlock" -- its focus is still on street-level crime.

"The program is designed to make the streets safe so these people get off the streets, so you can walk down the streets without feeling harassed," Kochems said.

In the month since Weed and Seed was announced, "The program is doing what it's supposed to do," he said. "We'll see again in six months."

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharon-herald.com