Pinecrest, POA
DATE: March 3, 2016
FROM: Donna Cartwright, Pinecrest Homeowner
TO: Pinecrest, POA Homeowners
RE: Neighborhood Watch Details
Neighbors,
We had a great turn out for the NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH meeting this week with Officer Mike Jennings. We will proceed with re-establishing a Neighborhood Watch Program. I'd like to plan to have monthly meetings with guest speakers. One thing Officer Mike mentioned is doing a class on HOME SECURITY. Since there were a lot of questions at the meeting, this sounded like the perfect follow up topic. If you would like to be a BLOCK CAPTAIN, please MESSAGE YOUR INFO & ADDRESS to donnacartwright@gmail.com . Officer Mike suggested a maximum of 10 homes to a Captain. See below for what being a Block Captain or Watcher entails.
If you'd like to just be part of the Neighborhood Watch program and get informed, please still message me your info.
Like Officer Mike said, we're mainly eyes and ears of our neighborhood. He said we can put away our pitchforks and torches. lol He has jokes!
Before the next meeting I'd like to get a map ready and point out Block Captains and hopefully get a telephone chain or email chain directory drafted up for each block captain.
TO BE ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH EMAIL & PHONE LIST, YOU MUST EMAIL YOUR INFO TO: donnacartwright@gmail.com Please include your full name, address, email, and telephone & cell phone numbers. This information will be shared with your Block Captain and the Coordinator.
If you have a tenant in your home, please send us your information. Your tenant may fill out the registration forms if they would like to be part of this program. You, however will be the next point of contact if your tenant is unavailable as we will not know if your home is vacant or not.
You do not have to participate with this program. It is not required. This is optional.
Regarding meetings, next month's meeting, let's plan to have food!!!! I'll get dates and post as soon as possible. Any topic ideas for the upcoming meetings will be appreciated. I'd like to follow through with inviting EMS or the Fire Department to the 3rd meeting.
Our goal as a Neighborhood Watch is to come together and be on a first name basis. Our meetings will not be a waste of time. We will have informational speakers pertaining to our homes, safety, community, or health.
NIXLE Sign up for Beaufort County Police notifications at: http://www.nixle.com/ This was recommended by Officer Mike. Basic sign up is free.
UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL.
I spoke to Trista of IMC and have maps for Pinecrest from her. I will be planning to meet with those interested in being a Block Captain for their street. I will talk to Noreen of Coastal Security as well. Board Members: Charles Kessler and Keri Tess attended last night's meeting. We want everyone to be in the loop with the Neighborhood Watch Program.
Please take a moment to read the File I uploaded on the Pinecrest Facebook closed group page which will answer many of your questions. If you're not on the Facebook group page, please let me know.
Here are details:
WHAT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ? The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Neighborhood Watch Program is a coalition between the Sheriff’s Office and concerned citizens working together to make neighborhoods more crime resistant.
Neighborhood Watch supports the sharing of information between the Sheriff’s Office and the community in an effort to reduce crime and promote citizen awareness and involvement.
Although the primary focus of most Neighborhood Watch Programs is the prevention of residential burglaries, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has expanded our program to combat several other types of criminal activities.
WHY ORGANIZE A NEIGHBORHOOD AGAINST CRIME ? Crime and fear of crime threaten a community’s well-being. People become afraid to leave their homes, to use streets and parks or to walk through the neighborhood.
Suspicion erupts between the young and old. Businesses gradually leave. Crime in turn feeds on the social isolation it creates.
Neighbors can prevent or break this vicious cycle, and in the process, build their community into a safer, friendlier, and more caring place to live.
Statistics and criminals alike verify that when neighbors organize, the opportunity for crime is drastically reduced.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ? To increase community awareness, enhance individuals’ power of observation, and encourage mutual assistance and concern among neighbors to reduce crime.
To allow the concerns of the neighborhood to be presented in a unified voice to both the Sheriff’s Office and to other governmental agencies.
To develop a neighborhood action program where neighbors help each other by watching each other’s homes and reporting suspicious persons in their neighborhoods to the Sheriff’s Office.
To train citizens in various personal and physical security strategies and help them in making their home more secure.
To promote awareness techniques and reporting crime but not the physical confrontation of criminals. Watch groups are not vigilantes and do not assume the role of the law enforcement.
REPORTING SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR/ACTIVITY “If its suspicious To You – Its suspicious to Us”
TRY TO REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
DO NOT PLACE YOURSELF IN DANGER TO GET INFORMATION!
• What happened?
• Time and place?
• Was anyone hurt?
• Description of suspect(s)
• Description of vehicle(s)
• License plate number
• Time and direction of travel
• Additional details and circumstances
Organization of a Neighborhood Watch Group Acting Coordinator: Donna Cartwright
The Neighborhood Watch Coordinator’s responsibilities may include:
1. Act as liaison to the local law enforcement agency. The Coordinator passes non emergency information from the group directly to the Crime Prevention Office. The Coordinator also receives information from the Crime Prevention Office and passes it to the Block Captains.
2. Coordinates the activities of Block Captains and Block Watchers participating in the program. 3. Organizing the date, time, and location for group meetings and for information sharing meetings with the Block Captains.
4. Review tips and information on suspected criminal activities within the group area and looks for patterns or for potential suspects. This information is received from Block Captains who create written documentation of suspicious activities.
BLOCK CAPTAINS:
The Block Captain is the primary link in the group’s chain of command. There should be a defined limit to the number of homes (i.e., ten) assigned per Block Captain. The duties include a wide range of simple tasks. The Block Captain’s responsibilities may include:
_ Meet each resident in your assigned area and offer to register them in the group.
_ Holding regular meetings with the area members. The Block Captains explain the program both to those neighbors at the meeting and to those who did not attend the meeting, discussing the requirements of the program including the need for each resident to commit to reporting crime.
_ Cooperates and helps the Coordinator.
_ Maintain an emergency phone list of all your assigned residents. Maintains records of these participating residents.
_ Be available to pass on information about criminal activities in your area. (Note: A Block Captain may be called late at night if one of their residents spots suspicious activities.)
_ Lending out Operation Identification engravers.
_ Forward information to the group’s Coordinator and activate the phone tree if you receive information on a suspect in your area. (The “phone tree” involves calling members and informing them if an active incident is going on in the area).
_ The Block Captain also coordinates assistance programs if there are any special needs in their area and may set up social events for their members to become involved in.
_ Distributes the Neighborhood Watch pamphlets and other crime prevention literature.
WATCH MEMBERS:
The Neighborhood Watch members are the most important part of any group. Being a Watch member is not a hard or time-consuming job. It mostly involves becoming aware of activities in your area and taking time to report them.
_ Attend a presentation on Neighborhood Watch by either the Crime Prevention Officer or a trained Block Captain, thus promising to report crime.
_ Cooperate and assist the Block Captain.
_ Volunteer with your area Neighborhood Watch.
_ Review the Neighborhood Watch pamphlets and crime prevention literature.
_ Take simple crime prevention measures to avoid unnecessary crimes. Target harden your home and car by using these proven simple techniques.
_ Participate in Operation Identification.
_ The local police or sheriff asks you and your neighbors to get together and to get to know each other. As you become more familiar with your neighbors, their cars, etc., you become more observant about what is “normal” for your neighborhood. Then, if you see someone that is out of place, or a car that is suspicious, call the police or sheriff and allow them to check it out. Neighborhood Watch is not about you taking police action - that is the job of law enforcement. It is about being a good neighbor.
_ Watch your neighbor’s homes and report suspicious persons in your neighborhoods to your local law enforcement agency. Report the non emergency activities to your Block Captain by phone or on a 3x5 card. These may include: abandoned cars, graffiti, overgrown vacant lots, etc.
_ Emergencies or a crime in progress should be reported to the police or sheriff emergency line (usually 911) and then to the Block Captain. Many people don’t want to bother the police because they are afraid that it may not be a real emergency or that they may be embarrassed if their suspicions turn out to be unfounded. The police would much rather be called out to investigate than to be called after a crime has been committed.
These may include:
-someone screaming or shouting for help.
-someone in need of medical attention.
-a person running, especially if carrying something of value.
-anyone being forced into a vehicle.
-a person exhibiting unusual mental or physical symptoms.
-persons making a quick change of vehicles.
-burglaries, robberies, thefts, auto break-ins, etc. in progress.
-someone looking into windows of homes or parked cars.
-apparent drug trafficking.
-unusual noises.
-apparent businesses transactions conducted from a vehicle.
-property being taken out of closed businesses or houses where no one is at home. -open or broken doors or windows to a home or business.
-cars, vans, or trucks moving slowly and without lights with no apparent destination, or repeating the same action.
-a stranger sitting in a car or stopping to talk to a child, etc.
When contacting your local law enforcement agency:
-provide them your name, address and telephone number.
-briefly describe the event
- what happened, when, where, and who was involved.
-tell them as soon as possible if medical assistance is needed.
-describe the suspect: sex, race, age, height, weight, hair color, clothing, distinctive characteristics such as beard, mustache, scars, or accent.
-tell them if weapons were involved.
-tell the suspect’s last known direction of travel.
-describe the vehicle if one was involved: color, make, model, year, license plate, and special features such as stickers, dents, or decals.
• Be willing to serve as an acting Block Captain in the absence of your area Block Captain or to help the Block Captain with projects in your block.
Attend monthly or quarterly meetings of the group.
Warmest regards,
Donna Cartwright
Pinecrest Home Owner
