City Manager Report addresses crime prevention

If you haven't taken the time to visit the city managers weekly recap you should.  The reading is tedious and editorial in nature, kind of like a lot of blogs: shameless self-promotion, but good bits can be found.  From the report this week an interesting comment on controlling crime through neighborhood awareness and reporting it to the police and sharing with each other.  

"One of the best ways to combat residential burglaries is to have “eyes on the street” – to keep neighbors engaged and vigilant, to be aware of suspicious cars and people on the block, and to guard against “crimes of opportunity”. Especially with this last point, it is important to notify to the Police Department of even minor incidents. This helps police track crime trends and find clues. For example, a car owner might leave their doors unlocked and notice the next morning that the tray of small change has been emptied and CD’s are gone. Many times, victims of this type of crime will blame themselves rather than notify the police (“It wasn’t that much money and, besides, I left the door unlocked.”) But it is precisely this type of crime report that helps us understand if there is a problem on that street, and the magnitude of the problem (for example, is it simply kids doing stupid things or has the neighbor’s trouble-bound son or daughter just gotten out of jail?). Make no mistake; this kind of activity can happen anywhere in our town. And it is important that we don’t get scared or rattled, but rather that we get involved.

Thus, I strongly encourage folks to take up the Community Policing Bureau’s offer to establish/reinvigorate a local Neighborhood Watch program. It can be as structured or as casual as folks might desire, and it is a great way to get to know the people on your street."

If you see something going on let Renee and I know, we'll publish it here.  If dire enough Renee will do a mass email as well to make sure the word is out.