WILDWOOD — Lorraine Celinski thinks that if neighbors help neighbors, they can restore a sense of security to Wildwood.

A string of recent burglaries in the city brought Celinski and a few residents to the Feb. 10 Board of Commissioner’s meeting to talk to city officials about starting a community watch.

Resident Sandra Richardson said that three properties in her neighborhood had been burglarized in the last month.

“These people are coming in and taking everything from jewelry, electronics. They are even stealing pets, too,” she said. “It’s time to do something.”

Celinski has lived in Wildwood for 45 years, and was once a member of the city’s community watch when it was active in the 1980s.

“It was very effective when we had it going,” she said. “It created a good rapport with the community and the police department.”

Celinski said that the watch program would meet monthly with a representative of the police department to discuss issues in the neighborhood and update each other on the happenings in the community.

“Sometimes we would have half-a-dozen people at the meetings and other times we would have over 20. It would depend on the meeting,” she said.

Over the years, the community-based organization slowly diminished, namely due to its principal member moving away.

“There wasn’t a leader after Kay McGuire left,” Celinksi explained. “You need someone that is going to volunteer and run things.”

Chief Steven Long of the Wildwood Police Department said that he encourages community involvement when it comes to public safety.

“If there’s a problem, call us and we’ll be there,” Long said of the department’s response to calls.

Long said that a community watch program would be successful in Wildwood with the right person leading the program.

The problem, he said, is finding that person that wants the responsibility. Long said the police department can dedicate time and effort to attend monthly meetings but wouldn’t be able to organize the program.

Commissioner Tony Leonetti, who is in charge of public safety, said the police department responded to about 3,200 calls last month, ranging from burglaries to a cat stuck in a tree.

“Part of the issue is our limited number of officers,” Leonetti said.

Mayor Ernie Troiano said that he and the other commissioners would like to see the community watch program restored.

“If someone comes forward and initiate a town watch, we’ll support it,” he said.

Leonetti said that anyone interested in getting involved in the community watch can contact the Wildwood Police Department at 522 0222 and ask to speak to the Chief Long’s secretary.

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