As released by the City of Harrisburg Police Department:

On July 8th, 2013 at about 12:10 am patrol officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of Susquehanna St. on a report of a structure fire. The officers assisted the Harrisburg Fire Bureau in alerting residents on the block as the fire spread. Several homes were damaged and the fire is being investigated as suspicious.

While still on the scene Fire Bureau and officers were alerted to another fire on the 2100 block of Penn St. That fire damaged more than one home and is being investigated as suspicious.

Witness accounts revealed that several young people were seen playing with fire and may have caused events. City detectives were called to the scene and handled the investigation.

There were two other fires over the weekend. On July 6th, 2013 at about 5:45 pm a person driving in the area reported seeing two little boys start a fire on the front porch of 2223 Derry St. Minor damage and no further information.

On July 7th, 2013 at about 2:30 pm the Fire Bureau responded to a garage fire on the 300 block of S. 14th St. Det. Schriver responded and conducted an investigation. No suspects and no determination of cause yet..

Neither incident is thought to be related to the house fires on Susquehanna and Penn Sts.

The investigation continues and anyone having any information on this is asked to contact Det. Schriver at 717-255-3183 or email jschriver@cityofhbg.com. Anyone may also call the Dauphin County Police dispatch at 717-558-6900 and ask for a City detective.

At 10:30 am D.A. Ed Marsico held a press conference with local law enforcement officials to announce the start of a public private partnership with CrimeWatch Technologies.

The online crime reporting platform provides the ability for neighbors, residents and individuals in the community to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement. "This system will allow the public and law enforcement officials to have two way communications to provide greater transparency," said Marsico.

Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick described the system as, "Engaging the citizenry to play an active role as part of the solution as opposed to complaining about what's happening."

The online service is hosted by Crime Watch Technologies of Carlisle, Pa. The system provides a county wide network for local police departments and residents to solicit and receive real-time updates about events occurring in their area.

Swatara Township Police Chief Jason Umberger credits the system for helping to make two arrests in Swatara Township after receiving tips through the online reporting platform.

It appears that there is serious potential for citizens to make an impact within their communities while not having to fear retribution of reporting a tip. Matt Bloom, President of CrimeWatch Technologies, pointed out that the system allows for anonymous reporting while enabling users to share information across major social networking platforms.

When asked about how the system was funded, District Attorney Marsico informed us that it was paid for with County Gaming Funds via the Violent Crimes Task Force.

The website is located at http://dauphin.crimewatchpa.com. It includes information relevant to local police departments, mug shots of suspects, crime maps for neighborhoods and more.

Photo by Natalie Cake.