HARRISBURG- The city of Harrisburg plans to put police officers in an Allison Hill neighborhood full-time later this year when it open a 24-hour precinct near 15th and Derry streets.

Police Chief Thomas Carter announced the new effort during a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night at the Derry Street United Methodist Church at 1508 Derry Street. The meeting was the first in a series by Mayor Eric Papenfuse to hear concerns and suggestions from residents.

The city is using federal grant money earmarked for police overtime pay to rehabilitate the one-story building at 15th and Drummond streets. The police department used to run a part-time substation out of the building, but it hasn't been used in recent years except as a place for officers to occasionally write reports.

The building is four blocks from a recent brick-brawl that was videotaped and went viral.

The owner of the building recently donated it to the city, Carter said, clearing the way for renovations. Carter said he didn't know how much the project would cost. A few local construction companies are providing estimates of renovations.

Money to pay for the project will come from $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant money that was earmarked by city council last year for police to fight crime in the neighborhood. Part of the money has already been spent on overtime, but a portion will now go to the building, Carter said, which has a gated parking lot for police cars and officers' personal vehicles.

Carter said he hoped to have the building operational by the end of the summer. He said officers assigned to patrol the area would report directly to the precinct and work out of the building, which will be staffed around the clock. Residents will be able to call the precinct directly to request police assistance, he said.

Residents will no longer have to venture downtown or pay for parking to visit a police station, Carter said.

"We should be accessible to the people we serve," he said.

Carter said he eventually would like to expand the program to include precincts in two other neighborhoods, including one in uptown.

Public safety was the top concern cited by people who spoke at Tuesday night's meeting, which drew more than two-dozen residents. The first five residents complained about the same thing: bandits terrorizing city sidewalks and streets with motorized dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles that are illegal.

The bandits ignore traffic laws, one-way streets and stop signs and nearly knock over pedestrians in their path, the residents complained. They are pervasive.

The vehicles, mostly stolen or not properly registered, Carter said, pose a serious problem for police officers, who are reluctant to start a dangerous chase through densely populated neighborhoods.

"It's one of the biggest headaches I have right now," Carter said. "We can't chase these kids because they're just kids. If we chase them, and a young person loses their life, their family will sue us."

Parents should not allow children to illegally drive the motorized vehicles, Carter said. He recommended that residents should report sightings to police and discreetly photograph offending vehicles if possible to help police. Residents can also report parked dirt bikes and ATVs that are believed to be illegal if they see them chained or locked at a residence. Police officers can then run a check on the vehicle identification number, question residents and confiscate the vehicle without worrying about chasing anyone, he said.

Police confiscated eight illegal dirt bikes and motorized ATVs in the last week, Carter said. A PennLive reporter saw a motorized dirt bike driving near 15th and Drummond streets shortly after the meeting ended.

Two other residents at the meeting complained about police response times to 911 calls, parents who don't mind their children and repeated drug dealing at known locations.

Carter said the new precinct should help to reduce response times and increase attention by police. He also took an address from an elderly woman who said she was afraid in her home at night because of drug dealers and said officers would investigate.

The next neighborhood meeting was set for June 26 at the Chisuk Emuna synagogue at 3219 Green Street.