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Health & Fitness

Divine Intervention?

North point police officers donate time to handle vagrant issues impacting local church

In today’s society, people tend to overuse certain phrases to the point that they don’t mean much anymore. However, there is one—“over and above the call of duty”—that I tend to reserve for only the most deserving of recipients.

Today, I am proud to blog about some police officers that I believe are truly deserving of the recognition.

First, let me provide you with some background.

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For a while now, there has been an increasing problem with vagrants taking over the business district of old Dundalk. For whatever reason, these individuals have taken to living on the streets—whether drugs, alcoholism, or mental illness. Regardless, the problems of the situation have been mounting for the police, as well as the business community. Public urination, intoxication, and drug usage are rampant, and—despite the dedicated efforts of the police—the cancer has continued to spread in this historic area of old Dundalk.

In the middle of this mess is St. Rita’s Church, located at 2907 Dunlear Road. The church’s history dates back to 1923, when the former Beth Steel donated an acre of land so that the church’s wooden structures could be built. Because of its location, St. Rita’s was being impacted quite negatively by the vagrancy problem, something that the church was not well-equipped to handle.

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According to a spokesperson at the church that I interviewed, here were the problems that St. Rita’s was facing (in graphic detail):

·         “Your heart goes out to (the vagrants) until you realize they are urinating on your church.”

·         “Seeing a body lying in a doorway is scary for the children.”

·         “We are not the only church having problems.” Apparently, St. George’s and St. Matthew’s, also on Dunlear road, are also experiencing issues with the vagrants.

The bottom line is that you can’t have vagrants camping out and using your building as a toilet and/or dumpster. The trash and human waste continued to pile up, and the church staff had to keep cleaning it up.

(Cue the heroic music…)

To help the church, three North Point police officers stepped up to the plate, to use a baseball term, in order to address the issue head on. I can honestly say that officers George Mussini, Nick Mabry, and Carey Kus went above and beyond the call of duty. The three officers banded together on their own time to face the problem, which—according to a spokesperson for Saint Rita’s—has been resolved.

Without their dedication to take the extra step, the problem would, by now, be completely out of control.

Thanks to the efforts of these officers who went the extra distance, the problem has now been resolved. The church is being monitored 24/7, and—so far—the efforts to curtail this situation is working.

Three cheers for the three officers! George Mussini, Nick Mabry, and Carey Kus, I salute you!






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