Neighborhood Watch General Meeting

Federal Heights Neighborhood Association
November 10, 2009
Attendance: 30 residents, 2 guests: Detective Brian Sloan and Detective Rick Wall

Beth Arnett opened the meeting by introducing the guests. Det. Sloan said a few words, asking neighbors to feel free to contact him whenever necessary. Det. Wall took the floor with the night’s presentation.

Det. Wall emphasized 3 points about criminals: they are lazy, stupid, and don’t want to get caught. Law-abiding citizens should use all those characteristics to their advantage. An active Neighborhood watch is an effective way to do this. Neighborhood Watch recruits neighbors to be constantly observant, looking out for each other.

What can citizens do to protect themselves? Most crimes are crimes of opportunity—a citizen has made it easy for a burglar. So we should

Cars:
· Lock our cars.
· Never leave anything value in plain sight in the car. If we must leave things in the car, put them out of sight in the trunk.
· Never leave identification except car registration and insurance in the car.’

Houses
· Lock doors and windows
o Have deadbolts at least one inch long.
o Have closely fitting doors and door frames
o Put rods in the slide of sliding doors
· Keep outdoor lights on at night or have motion detectors.
o Energy saving bulbs work fine and are cheap in the long run.
· Keep the view of windows and doors from the street open. Don’t provide cover for burglars.
· Don’t leave any personal information in sight in the house.
· Make the house look lived in when you are gone.
· Identify your property: Engrave a made-up number on electronic equipment—or put nail polish in a hidden spot. It is possible to recover stolen property that has been pawned, as long as it can be identified.

Neighbors need to talk to each other so they can get in touch with each other if anything suspicious is spotted.
If neighbors suspect a crime, they should:
Call the neighbor who appears to be the victim
Call the police.
Do not attempt to intervene.

Phone numbers:
911
Emergency

799-3000
Dispatch. Crime, Non-emergency (for instance, the burglars have already left)

972-7885
Graffiti Removal

799-DRUG
Suspected drug traffic

A question and answer period followed the presentation.

Beth and neighbors thanked Det. Wall for his informative, entertaining presentation.