Ross Township Police will hold a community meeting January 19 following two reports of sexual assaults at apartment complexes earlier this month.
The first incident occurred January 7 when a woman at the Woodhawk Club Apartment complex reported that she was walking her dog when a man forced her into her apartment, displayed a handgun, and sexually assaulted her.
Two days later, another woman at the Cascades Apartment complex returned to her room and found a man inside. She said the man drew a handgun, demanded money, and then sexually assaulted her.
According to the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System, there were 11 sex-related offenses in total in Ross Township in 2011.
Sergeant Benjamin Dripps, patrol supervisor for the Ross Police, believes that the two incidents have been an awakening for the township.
"We've been telling people for some time, that you do need to lock your doors, that you do need to be aware of your surroundings," Sgt. Dripps said. "For the most part though, those recommendations go unheeded, until something like this hits very close to home."
However, Sgt. Dripps added it isn't just Ross Township that has these incidents.
"These crimes occur everywhere," Dripps said. "We're not — we didn't become the crime capital of the world overnight, but we're also not Mayberry."
According to Sgt. Dripps, police patrols in neighborhoods and around all 25 apartment complexes in the Ross area have been increased since the first incident.
However, police have made no arrests in either case.
