Instead of doing a patrol they recommend having a Neighborhood Watch with neighbors actively being the “eyes and ears” of the neighborhood – from their house, while they walk, and as they come and go from the neighborhood. The NPD is willing to help us institute a Watch Program and give us training on how to best utilize this program. The basic premise is we would identify “block captains” who are responsible for receiving/distributing information of interest/concern regarding the neighborhood. We would have to decide on the breakdown of “blocks” if we choose to go this route.
A few other points he made were:
- keep doors and windows locked
- mark your property and keep a list of serial numbers
- leave outdoor lights on overnight and turn off during the day (timers are best).
NPD will have Neighborhood Watch signs available in January for us (to purchase or free I don’t know yet). Another thing of interest is the NPD offers a home security survey service to Newark residents. While they cannot do this for all residents of Christine Manor (as most of us are not in the city) he can give a talk on how we can do it for ourselves. I have asked him to do this in January and will be sending out an email/notice when I have received a confirmation.
Please start thinking about how you personally feel about the community patrol and the neighborhood watch ideas. I am also considering doing a webpage something like West Branch’s (which you can see at http://www.westbranchnewark.com/homepage.html ). Please feel free to send me your comments and suggestions. I will be in touch regarding a January meeting to discuss how we’d like to move forward with the community watch program. As for now I think we should continue with the patrol, until we can agree as a group what we feel is best. Given the holidays, unless I hear otherwise, I will assume that January is the best time to meet to have this discussion.
Thank you to those who attended the meeting and who have signed up for the 2009 patrol. I think we are starting what is really needed to protect ourselves and our property – a real sense of community.
Sincerely,
Rachael Coffey
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2 comments:
Nice Site. Thanks for setting this up Rachael.
As for outdoor lights, I would prefer if they are turned out when not in use, and I have often conveyed that feeling to the other people in my house. I like living more or less in the countryside, like we more or less are here, where the stars are easily seen on clear winter nights. I probably have better night vision than most burglars, anyway.
Remember to be aware of possible rifle shots late at night. With the state of the economy, deer poachers may become more common than they already are. I have called 911 about gunshots from the direction of Maryland before. While the dispatcher expressed doubt about whether Maryland would respond about a call from Delaware, I think the airplane I heard soon after was not coincidental.
--From DC
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