Criminal activity ranging from illegal trash dumping to burglary has been on the rise throughout Seminole’s downtown district, and business owners want city officials to help put a stop to it.

About two dozen downtown merchants aired their frustrations and concerns with City Manager Steve Saxon and Police Chief Jon Withers during a townhall on Friday, March 12 at the Seminole Public Library.

“We understand there are several concerns, and we’re going to try to give you some answers and maybe try to develop some solutions,” Saxon told the crowd. “I don’t know that all the solutions are going to happen today, but if we don’t know what’s wrong, we can’t fix it.”

Lee Randle, who owns multiple downtown properties, said he and other merchants are “fed up” with the crime problem and wants harsher penalties for juvenile offenders.

“I think something should be done to a maximum level every time. I don’t care how old they are, they need to be handcuffed, taken to jail and have their parents called. It needs to be publicized in the paper and on the neighborhood watch page,” Randle said. “There should be no excuse for a person’s business being broken into. We are tax-paying and law-abiding citizens, and it needs to stop.” Jamie Carter, whose

Jamie Carter, whose downtown real estate offices have been hit by thieves several times recently, said police patrol needs to be beefed up downtown, particularly during the overnight hours.

“I watch my cameras during the week and my concern is the amount of traffic between midnight and 4 o’clock in the morning. If you watch my cameras during that time, it’s like grand central station down here,” Carter said. “I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to help stop it. I’m going to add more cameras and lights if that will help.” Carter added that she

Carter added that she knows from watching her cameras who is “harmless” and who is not. “I know the normal guys…like the ones who come on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon and dig through the trash and the guy who rests on my bench Saturday night. I’m good with all that because they’re harmless. I want to help those people. But there’s a lot of new faces I don’t recognize, and it’s at night,” she said.

Most people at the meeting agreed that a curfew, with a provision for business owners to be in their shops after hours, should be enacted, and Saxon said he would take that up with the city council.

Action items gleaned from the meeting include the establishment of a Facebook page for downtown business and property owners and the design and implementation of a Downtown Business Improvement District. It was also suggested that the city design a plan for lighting and cameras throughout downtown.

Saxon and Withers said a letter should be written to the district attorney and signed by all concerned merchants encouraging the incarceration of those that vandalize property.

According to Saxon, another meeting will be held in mid-April. For more information, contact city hall at (405) 382-4330.