SYRACUSE -- Residents in Eastwood are asking the City of Syracuse for increased police presence following a robbery and assault at a local business.
A customer at the Subway on James Street was assaulted during a robbery at the store Saturday night. Syracuse common councilor Nader Maroun is asking police to increase patrols in the neighborhood.
"The citizens really are feeling that they want to have more of a police presence here," he says.
Syracuse Police already have a temporary community policing trailer located on James Street. But Aaron a member of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association, says the association would like to see a more permanent police presence
"We've had a police trailer here in Eastwood for years. I think it's time we go to the next step," he says.
That next step would be having police set up a precinct in what is now a vacant building next to the Palace Theatre on James Street.
The Eastwood Neighborhood Association says a more permanent police presence would help speed up the redevelopment of the neighborhood.
"There is really two ends of James Street the business district we are trying to match the two ends so that we can get development into this end that has been vacant for sometime," he says.
