Harrison police Chief Brian Turack will 'meet and greet' residents in Natrona

New Harrison police Chief Brian Turack will host a meet-and-greet with residents to introduce himself and outline plans to help the township thrive.

“It will be very informal,” he said. “I just want to talk about some of the plans we have coming up.”

The event is Tuesday at the Natrona Community Park.

Hosted by advocacy group Natrona Comes Together, all are welcome to share concerns and ideas — especially teenagers, according to Bill Godfrey, group president.

“This is a friendly and informative meeting for (the chief) to share his vision for the future safety for the village of Natrona,” Godfrey said.

Light refreshments will be served.

Turack was promoted to chief earlier this year to fill the position after longtime police chief Mike Klein retired.

In coming months, Turack said, the police website will be updated to make it easier for people to navigate and submit tips related to drugs or other suspicious activity. Residents will be able to submit tips anonymously.

“I also want to go over some training that we’ll be having, which is important for the community,” he said.

The department plans to have a car seat safety event where officers will help people ensure proper installation.

Turack said he is working with the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation to have a Stop the Bleed training for his officers, and with Citizens Hose and Peoples natural gas for training on responding to gas emergencies.

Godfrey sees the communication with the chief as a positive step.

“We are all in this together,” he said. “A partnership with the police and community will be beneficial for everyone.

“Like most communities in this area, Natrona needs to focus on identifying problems, but mainly we want to talk about how we help.”