In the wake of multiple acts of violence in the city, officials are continuing their efforts to ensure Erie is a place where people can spend their summer.

Some locals and visitors say they have mixed feelings about spending time in the City of Erie.

While some say they still feel comfortable visiting, others believe more needs to be done to address violence and crime.

“I don’t even want to take my niece down to the park anymore because of all that. I don’t want her around that stuff, and the sad thing about that is, they’re doing drugs, drinking in the park, but the police department is right across the street,” said Robert Takacs, an Erie resident. “We got people killing people, we got everything, you know, we got police officers hitting people, it’s just ridiculous.”

 Erie police chief says surge in crime typical for this time of year 

“I go in the city a lot. I go in Erie, Millcreek. I feel safe,” said Matthew Held, a Girard resident. “Yeah, it’s a pretty big part of Erie County, you should say.”       

City of Erie police said a spike in crime is normal during the summer months anywhere, not just Erie, and city officials said public safety remains a key focus as they work to grow tourism and development and make Erie a place where people want to stay.

“Tourism is a wonderful thing for Erie, and we’re so grateful for visitors, but you know, also our residents. We need to keep our residents safe as well, so prioritizing, making sure we have patrols, we have cameras, we’re keeping an eye on what’s happening, but we’re also making our residents feel safe as well, that’s really important for us,” said Daria Devlin, mayor of the City of Erie.

Mayor Devlin said that listening to concerns throughout the community and being responsive to issues is just one way they ensure safety throughout the city.

“We’re making sure that we have officers out, we’re patrolling the streets robustly, certainly during the summer months especially, we’re making sure that curfews are being enforced, we’re making sure that our officers are out there building relationships with the community, but also acting, when necessary,” said Mayor Devlin.

While the city is working to make Erie better every day, some locals have said the community needs to work together for change, too.

“We, as the citizens of Erie, Pennsylvania, need to come together and unite together. We need to stick with each other,” said Takacs.

Devlin added that despite recent flare-ups, crime in the city is down, and Erie police are committed to keeping it that way.

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