Groves police announce neighborhood watch meeting, plan joint ‘National Ride Out’ event with fire department

Groves police and city staff announced a neighborhood-watch meeting set for Thursday, March 20 at 6 p.m. at Rose Municipal Court, 4201 Main Avenue, and described early plans to hold a combined “National Ride Out” and fire department open house later this year.

The meeting matters because it is intended to increase community safety coordination and public outreach: police said the March 20 meeting will allow residents to meet officers, review safety material and learn how to participate in neighborhood-watch activities.

Marshall (identified in the meeting as the speaker at the podium) told council members that the neighborhood-watch meeting would be at 6 p.m. at Rose Municipal Court on Main Avenue and that the department plans to move the usual event date to accommodate fire-department scheduling. Marshall said the city is planning a joint public-safety event that would block off a section of Doyle between the two fire stations and part of Washington Street so fire and police demonstrations, vendor booths and sponsor activities can share one larger community gathering.

Marshall said the joint event is still in early planning and that the city has “a specific set of standards needed before we could pay for” street closures, and asked the council for interim guidance and support as the department refines details.

Council members did not take a formal vote on the event at the meeting and no date for the combined event was finalized. The March 20 neighborhood-watch meeting was presented as open to any resident who wishes to participate.

City staff did not provide a timeline for the larger combined event nor a cost estimate during the discussion; staff said the city will have to meet requirements before approving any road closures or city-paid services.