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NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH This month’s newsletter will center around the threat of crime in our neighborhood. It’s certainly still safe to walk our streets but with increased density in our area, it appears crime may be on the rise. The Neighborhood Watch program sets up an organized approach to watching out for each other’s safety and reducing the threat of crime. Read further to see how you can help. |
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The
President on Neighborhood Crime |
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Last year juveniles took over a vacant
home and used it to store items they stole during daylight burglaries.
Both the home and the burglaries were in our neighborhood. The situation
went unnoticed too long by neighbors in the area. As far as we know they
were not caught. People seem to be openly buying drugs at a nearby location. This was reported to the police. We do not know the status of their investigation. Charges may or may not be filed. Hopefully, the police will warn away this criminal activity. Just this past week, a neighbor’s home was broken into, and items were stolen. Reportedly, their door was physically broken through. It happened in the early afternoon. We must be more observant of what is happening on our streets and report any suspicious people or activity to the police. Call 911. You may be protecting your own property or your neighbor’s home. If you would like information about the Neighborhood Watch program, come to our meeting on February 20. If your block does not have an active program, start one. Floyd Clark |
The
Former President on Neighborhood Watch Program |
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During my term as President of COVNA, the discussion of creating a
Neighborhood Watch program gained more traction as graffiti “tags”
increased around our streets, along with home burglaries and the use
of a vacant house as a “stash” for thieves. We have Neighborhood
Watch signs posted at the entrance to our neighborhood and we need to
think seriously about putting teeth into the warning. |
Our
New Vice President on Area Crime |
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We are experiencing a rash of graffiti and minor vandalism in and around our neighborhood. There is an easy way to contribute to the beauty and welfare of our COVNA neighborhood and surrounding area. While walking or driving in our neighborhood, pay attention to your surroundings. If you see something that is out of place, for example, no stop sign or some graffiti, call 311. When calling 311 select the city information option and ask to report graffiti or whatever is wrong. A report of the incident will be recorded and processed. In the case of graffiti, the city will contact the Police Department, an officer will come out to record the incident, and the city will clean the graffiti. If the incident is a missing sign or anything related to the public streets and right-of-way, the city will send a crew out to fix the problem. The recent problems have been fixed in a day up to a week. This is a wonderful way to help our neighborhood stay beautiful, safe, and help us keep a vigilant watch on our streets. Last night after work, I turned off Manchaca onto Crownspoint, and noticed about 7 males, one white, the others Hispanic, hanging out on the corner of Crownspoint and Toulouse. I noticed some graffiti on a fence on Toulouse that was not there the day before. I went home, called 311 and reported it to the City of Austin’s Graffiti Abatement Program. I left the house again to get some food, and stopped at the Texaco at Manchaca and Monarch. I asked the owner if he had noticed the graffiti on the side of his building. He said he had, but every time he cleans it off it reappears the next week. He said he has given up and does not know what to do. His gas pumps have been vandalized, the ice machine broken into, and graffiti painted all over his building and trash dumpsters. I told him to call the police, and his response was that the police would not do anything about his problem. Folks, with that attitude, our neighborhood is going to be run by some 15-year-old and younger kids. Back to my story. While driving home after picking up some food, I took the same route where the kids were hanging out and saw a drug deal in progress (the pass by, handing drugs to the customer, money given to the dealer). I immediately called 911. Forty-five minutes later, from my back porch, I heard sirens and then the Police helicopter came over our house. The helicopter was spotlighting the streets in and around our neighborhood. I do not know if anybody was caught, but I am going to contact Officer Rodriquez, our neighborhood commander and see what happened. If anybody notices anything suspicious in and around our neighborhood, PLEASE CALL THE POLICE OR THE CITY. They are both here to help us and with everyone's help we can stop or slow down the incidents in our neighborhood. A few bad seeds can plant a briar patch, just as a few good seeds can plant an orchard. Please help. A great way would be to become a Block Captain in the Neighborhood Watch program. |
The
Newsletter Editor Not on Crime |
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Been ill with flu this week (1st year since my accident to not get a flu shot) with fever up to 103.5+. Fever broke Friday, with help of Tamiflu I suspect, just in time to finish this rag. Managed to develop cellulitis on my leg while sick with the flu. Looked on Zillow.com and found our old house, all of 1,340 sq. ft., is supposedly worth 100k more than our present one, but with the beauty, quiet, and most importantly, neighborliness, I’m glad we’re here. |
