MADISON (WKOW) -- Madison police are once again calling on the community to step up and help out to stop violence in our city.
Officers met with people in the Park Ridge-Park Edge neighborhood Tuesday night. The meeting was organized after one of their neighbors was nearly hit by a stray bullet that came into her home on Mount Vernon Court last week.
The officers talked about crime statistics and gang problems, but also programs they're using to connect with the community to stop violence.
Chief Mike Koval once again asked people to not be afraid to continue reporting suspicious incidents.
"We have a lot of people still calling in in real time, which hastens our response levels," Koval told the crowd.
Karen Hellenbrand says she's scared to walk alone in the neighborhood, because of the incidents that have happened recently, but she thinks this meeting is a good first step to finding solutions."We know the things that are going on in our neighborhood and I'm glad that they're seeing it as well now," Hellenbrand tells 27 News.The neighborhood's alder, Barbara McKinney, also showed up to listen to neighbors' concerns. She's planning a cleanup effort in the coming weeks to get the community involved in improving conditions.
For more on this story: http://www.wkow.com/story/35971177/2017/07/25/southwest-madison-neighbors-meet-with-police-after-recent-crime