To the Editor:

The community of Merrimack continues to move forward in making it the safest place to live in the state of New Hampshire.

Community Services Officer Rob Kelleher’s presentation about the Neighborhood Watch program was very well received, with as many as 58 attentive neighbors and friends with one puppy dog on hand on Wednesday evening, Oct. 7, outdoors at the cul-da-sac of Cassie and Riley lanes.

Many were asking lots of questions about the program even while the sun was setting at 6:25 p.m., with the cool evening and portable lighting arrangements, not one neighbor left until he answered every question asked of him.

Merrimack now has 31 active Neighborhood Watch programs with more than 1,500 email addresses on file for communicating with authorities when something suspicious might be going on in their particular neighborhood. Also to date Merrimack has over 62 streets labeled with signage to make unfamiliar visitors aware they are in a Neighborhood Watch area.

Officer Kelleher’s program has grown through the years and has been a model display on how to keep your home and neighborhood streets safe. It takes a very big coordinated effort by all neighbors in the community to get to know one another. He has shown them the way to be successful, and that has got a lot to do with why Merrimack continues to be the No. 1 Safest Community in New Hampshire to live in according to Safe Choice marketing research firm for Monitronics Wireless Security Systems.

Our community policing efforts from Chief Doyle right on down through the rank of officers continues to keep Merrimack safe. Community Services Officer Kelleher is willing to share his expertise and knowledge for any neighborhood group looking to start a watch program.

He can be contacted at the Merrimack Police Dispatch line, 424-3774, and he will get back to you with what is needed to get started to make your neighborhood safer. Real estate companies inquire all the time to see if the particular streets they are exploring has a neighborhood watch program. Merrimack has that distinctive honor of saying "Yes, we do," with approximately 70 percent of the neighborhoods in town associated with a watch program.

Through Officer Kelleher’s continuing efforts and the full financial support of the Merrimack Crimeline all-volunteer citizens group, Merrimack has proven to be the safest town in the state of New Hampshire.

William L Behrens
Merrimack Crimeline
Neighborhood Watch chairman
merrimackcrimline.org