Pocono News Section

Williamsport Fugitive List Off to Fast Start

Williamsport Fugitive List Off to Fast Start - Monday, March 3, 2008 at 3:59PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Monday, Mar 3, 2008 @03:59pm EST
Williamsport, Lycoming County-

What a difference a week makes!

Just seven days after Williamsport officials launched their on-line list of the city's 25 most wanted fugitives, the results are astounding. Nine individuals have either been arrested or turned themselves in, and police are confident they know the locations of at least four more.

Police Captain Raymond Kontz said, "It shows that the community really wants to get involved in what's going on, especially when it comes to wanted persons."

Mayor Gabe Campana said, "Clearly, we're sending a message to these fugitives that we know where you are, we're going to find you, and we're going to prosecute you in the city of Williamsport."

But city officials aren't patting themselves on the back just yet. They want to make the operation even bigger. Part of that will come in the form of advertising companies such as Lamar and Stage One, who could soon be posting the pictures up on billboards and in local Subway Restaurants.

The other part will be a proposed expansion of the list to include other nearby municipalities, such as South Williamsport, Loyalsock Township, Old Lycoming Township and others, to make it more of a regional, Williamsport Area most wanted list.

"We just keep expanding. We get other municipalities involved. We use their websites as well as ours. It's just going to be a cooperative effort between different police agencies," Kontz said.

"We knew this was going to be a pro-active tool, but we had no idea that the dividends would pay so quickly," Campana added.

Additionally, Mayor Gabe Campana says he expects to hire another police officer within a month, with two more to come in the near future. He is also optimistic about the possibility of securing grant money for the purchase of surveillance cameras for the city.