Fort Dodge residents interested in learning about what’s being done to combat crime in their community are invited to a Thursday evening town hall meeting.

The session will offer more than just an update from law enforcement officers. Attendees will learn about some of the things they can do to make their neighborhoods safer.

The town hall will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N.

“If they are interested in learning about what’s being done to fight crime and prevent crime it would be a great opportunity to learn about that and ask questions,” said Randy Kuhlman, the chief executive officer of the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way.

The town hall was organized by the Safe Communities Coalition, which is an initiative of the Community Foundation.

Webster County Sheriff Luke Fleener and Fort Dodge Police Chief Dennis Quinn will speak and answer questions from the audience.

“The purpose is to update the community on what the Police Department and Sheriff’s Department do every day to fight crime in our community,” Kuhlman said.

“They’re doing a lot,” he added.

Many people have become accustomed to seeing fictional cops catch the bad guys at the conclusion of a one hour TV show, but the real world is much different.

“We really feel it’s healthy for our community to learn how that works,” Kuhlman said.

Also during the town hall, the Safe Communities Coalition will introduce its new See Something, Say Something campaign.

It gets its name from an effort launched by the Transportation Security Administration. Much like that federal effort, it encourages people to report things that seem suspicious. It outlines when people should call 911 and when they should call the non-emergency numbers for the police or sheriff’s departments.

Efforts to start more Neighborhood Watch programs will also be discussed.

If You Go

What: Town hall meeting on fighting crime

When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Fifth Ave. N.