Weed and Seed officials are concerned that some people harbor misconceptions about what the program is about and what it is doing for the cities of Sharon and Farrell.

While Sharon City Council members were trimming money from the proposed 2003 budget Thursday, Council President Fred Hoffman said if it weren't for contractual issues the program would be cut from the budget. He cited police overtime costs as one issue and lack of money coming in from the program.

Mayor David O. Ryan said Weed and Seed money will pay the $66,895 in overtime police racked up this year, not the city. The city only pays overtime costs for court time, he said.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Kochems said so far Sharon and Farrell have received:

   » A $135,000 blight reduction grant to raze buildings, pay for code enforcement training and improve or start mini-parks within the cities.

   » A $270,000 grant through the Strengthening Families Partnership for the Quinby Street Service Center, mentoring programs, computer tutoring and other family-related programs.

   » A $95,000 grant for the Daylight/Nighlight Partnership to monitor juvenile school attendance, begin intensive probation supervision, make police and family contacts and do faith-based work.

   » A $132,000 grant for police overtime.

Councilmen Lou Rotunno and George Gulla both said they're in favor of staying with Weed and Seed. Gulla said the police presence in his neighborhood has been "vigilant" though he hasn't seen any "big arrests" yet.

Rotunno said the town needs cleaned up but he too is expecting for a more substantial arrest. "I'm waiting for the big whale," he said.

"Define a big fish," Sharon Police Chief Thomas Burke said. He said Weed and Seed is a program that is effective but they don't have the manpower to conduct large-scale investigations.

District Attorney James Epstein said Friday Weed and Seed was never designed to conduct long-term investigations. The program is supposed to "bring peace to the community on a daily basis," he said.

Epstein said the inference at the council meeting was that police on Weed and Seed are just riding around on overtime doing what the other police are doing. Weed and Seed police are assigned to deal with specific crime problems, and if a resident complains about drug traffickers an officer is sent there within 48 hours to confront the drug dealer and make an arrest if possible, he said.

"People who commit small crimes also tend to commit large crimes," Epstein said. "Small arrests take someone out of circulation, even for a day or two, and that's worth doing."

The measure of success for Weed and Seed is when regular citizens can come out of their homes and enjoy life without being frightened of criminal behavior, Epstein said. "We measure success in peace, not the number of arrests and seizures," he said.

Weed and Seed police have a presence in certain bars and taverns and they walk the neighborhoods to create an unfavorable environment for drug dealers to operate in, Epstein said. "If the criminals move than we move," he said.

So far Weed and Seed has closed five drug houses, three of which were in Sharon, Kochems said. Four of the houses were on the list of the top five houses most complained about by citizens, he said.

Statistics show more Weed and Seed police activity in Sharon, Epstein said. "We're trying to erase the boundary. Criminals don't respect the city line, and therefore we can't either," he said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at:
kgarrett@sharonherald.com