City police seek tips

Feb. 17—Meadville Police Department is looking for tips from the public regarding two incidents over the past week: a hit-and-run crash on Smock Bridge and an alleged theft of services in which a man received a haircut then left without paying.

Both incidents were posted in the news feed among notices of charges filed and other reports on the website that the department launched in October, MeadvilleCityPolice.org. Similar calls were included with both announcements: "Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Meadville City Police Department at (814) 724-6100 or submit a tip through Crimewatch." The website is licensed through the York-based CRIMEWATCH Technologies Inc.

In the first of the two incidents, a Honda CRV struck the rear end of a red Chevrolet Silverado as it was traveling east on Smock Bridge just before 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the police announcement posted Thursday. The Honda then fled the scene.

The alleged theft of services involved a man whose name could be "Willy Colindessolis," police reported, and took place Tuesday at Cost Cutters, 16230 Conneaut Lake Road. The man who received the haircut, described to police as Hispanic with black hair featuring silver streaks, was wearing blue jeans, a black dress shirt and a black coat.

After leaving the store, the man drove away in a silver four-door sedan with noticeable rusting over the driver's side front wheel, according to city police.

In addition to the police department website, a free mobile app is available for download on Android and iOS devices. The app features an emergency alert system that can notify users of local incidents.

The website and app allow residents to submit tips, complaints, pay parking tickets, browse monthly crime statistics, find links to other local agencies and more. Users can sign up for free notifications via email by visiting the website crawford.crimewatchpa.com/meadvillepd/user/register.

The monthly report for December, the most recent available, shows 64 arrests for the month and 1,127 calls, bringing the total for 2023 to 13,825 calls — numbers that are almost certain to increase significantly for January, the department's first month patrolling both Vernon Township and the city.

The department's online platform also includes a security camera registry. To streamline police investigations, local businesses or residences with doorbell cameras or other types of video surveillance devices can opt to register their locations in the event a crime occurs in the area.

"Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to stay informed and to play an active role in preventing crime in our area," Chief Michael Stefanucci said when he introduced the new tool. "We believe that this website will help us to achieve that goal."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.