The police chief in the Village of Brockport has scheduled a forum this week to help find ways to fight a problem stemming from illegal drug use.
Chief Dan Varrenti readily admits he doesn't have all the answers...but he feels the need to communicate with Brockport residents about recent home invasion robberies, since the majority of them have been related to drug use.
Varrenti says Brockport is certainly not alone in dealing with an issue that is plaguing communities across the country.
But he says the recent rise in heroin use nationwide is not the only illegal drug problem in the village. He says there are problems with the use of other drugs as well, including marijuana and cocaine.
Varrenti says one reason for the increased home invasion activity may be due to improvements the College at Brockport made to its student housing recently. He says with better housing on campus, it has left some village residential properties vacant, or prone to being used for drug activity.
“You now have residential properties, rental properties that are abandoned, so abandoned, residential properties make no money, and in turn I think the standards have been lowered as to the type of properties that they are, they become disheveled, some are absentee landlords that they could care less,” Varrenti told WXXI News.
Varrenti says he doesn't expect any immediate solutions, but hopes this week's meeting can be used to better engage the public on how to deal with the issue.
One thing the police chief does want to do is create a special response team within the Brockport Police Department.
“A select number of officers, that are going to be able to address problems that are identified and come to the police department, whether that team does surveillance, whether that team does undercover buys will remain to be seen.”
The forum in Brockport is scheduled for Wednesday night from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Oliver Middle School.
