As they began a new year Thursday night, the leaders of Easton's Block Watch said they want to spend 2012 expanding the group's membership.

That includes places like the South Side's Highlands neighborhood, and Neston Heights, the new development that replaced Delaware Terrace.

Delaware Terrace never had a formal block watch, as far as members can recall. But with new residents moving into Neston Heights, there's more of an interest in being involved with some sort of neighborhood watch program, Block Watch President Scott Reiman said at Thursday's reorganization meeting.

Watch members are planning to meet with Neston Heights residents Monday at 6 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club clubhouse, Reiman said.

Thursday's meeting was to install new officers in the block watch, but members also heard from local law enforcement officials, including Easton Police Chief Larry Palmer.

Palmer said the city crime rate is "still in the ball park" of last year, when violent crimes were the lowest in 40 years, although he said exact statistics weren't available.

The chief noted that this would be his last time before the block watch as a police officer, as he's due to retire at the end of the year. He recalled attending watch meetings at the start of his career 20 years ago. 

"I remember when we filled this room. When bullets were flying," Palmer said.

But on Thursday, the room -- the gallery at the State Theatre -- held only a few dozen people. Palmer praised their committment, noting that some of them were faces he'd seen when he first started coming to meetings.