Neighborhood Watch and crime prevention in Hiddenbrooke

Beginning in May with a Town Hall meeting at the club, we’ve launched an important Neighborhood Watch program in Hiddenbrooke. Since that initial meeting in May, two subsequent meetings have been held in Hiddenbrooke staffed by Tony Pearsall, director of the Fighting Back Partnership; Bob Sampayan, retired Vallejo police officer and Hiddenbrooke resident; and Richard Tirrell, the HCA board liaison and Welcome Center manager.

With the initial informational meeting and two training sessions, we have started our program with fifteen different neighborhood groups taking shape. Neighborhood Watch is simply what it says: watching out in your neighborhood. It involves at first those houses you can see from your front door, not the entire street. Usually that means your neighbors on either side, and then three or more houses across the street from you. Whatever you can see on your block from looking out the front of your home.

The organizer or “Block Captain” will usually have a coffee or some other appropriate gathering, inviting those neighbors who come if interested. That small group will share basic information, like names in household, phone numbers, contact numbers during the day, make, model, license, number of cars, vacation schedules and contacts when gone and perhaps work or cell numbers. The idea is to become well acquainted with those on your block, know who belongs there and how to get hold of each other.

Bob Sampayan or Richard Tirrell are available to support these block gatherings when invited. Printed material to share with your neighbors is available online at www.blockwatch.com. The site contains all kinds of useful information, crime prevention tips and links to other information about Neighborhood Watch programs. Sometimes it is helpful for people to have something to take home with them and that site is a good resource.

As of now, there is no Vallejo Police liaison/community officer for the City of Vallejo, and no Neighborhood Watch signs or window stickers. We are on our own here, and need to work together. Down the line, purchasing signs is something that we may consider if there is continued active participation throughout the community.

Their are two local security factors here in our community are simple but important. They include the All Phase Security Service, with entrance officers posted at the Welcome Center and 24-hour patrols throughout Hiddenbrooke; and a set of eight security cameras that we have installed at the Welcome Center. The cameras are equipped to do license plate capture and the system provides for seventeen-day digital storage of the images. If you observe a suspicious car in your neighborhood and you can describe the vehicle, note the time within an hour or so and then there is an incident the data from the security cameras can be reviewed for identification via license plate. If an incident occurs over an unknown 12-24 hour period and no suspicious activity is observed or reported, we aren’t able to go back and find the plates. It is imperative that we all keep an eye on our blocks and note and report any suspicious activity.

On a recent Saturday night, over 200 cars entered and left Hiddenbrooke between midnight and 6:00a.m.! That’s a lot of activity.

With good Neighborhood Watch programs in place, suspicious activity can be quickly observed and written down. All Phase can make a quick check, and call police if needed. If you contact the Welcome Center to note suspicious activity and the officer is on patrol, your call to the Welcome Center number (707)558-9697 will be forwarded to a dispatch center and the dispatcher will immediately notify the officer on patrol. If you receive the voice mail message when you call the Welcome Center, enter the extension 1007 for dispatch, when asked on the phone prompt).

In addition, All Phase maintains a 24-hour back-up two-man patrol car in Vallejo. In the event of loud parties, noise disturbances, or other nuisance activity that Vallejo Police Department may consider a low priority, we encourage you to contact the Welcome Center. Of course, if you observe a crime in progress, you should immediately call 911 from a landline to get the police emergency dispatcher. If you place a 911 call from a mobile phone, those calls will be routed to the CHP and have to be handed off to local police so there may be a delay. If you are using a cell phone call and you dial (707) 648-4321 and then press #0 when you get the recorded message, your call will go directly to the Vallejo emergency dispatcher. It may be a good idea to program that number into your mobile phone.

If you wish, you can alert All Phase Security when you’re going out of town. Let them know how long you’ll be away and how to contact you while you’re gone and they will make a special check of your property while they are on patrol. If they see any suspicious activity, unusual vehicles in driveway, lights moving inside the house, etc., they can contact you or take other appropriate action.

Of course, this is where Neighborhood Watch works best. The point of the Neighborhood Watch program is to help you make your block and your home a hardened target, so it is not easy to burgle or disturb. Locking side fences, not leaving ladders in the back yard for second floor entry, using sliding door security locks, keeping shrubbery below window level so there is no concealment from street is all essential to keeping your home safe. Consider installing flood lights with motion sensors and hardened door jambs to all of your exterior doors. Use double-keyed front door locks, especially if your front door has glass panels, and cancel mail and newspapers when you’re gone. If you will be away for a prolonged period, it might be a good idea to unplug your garage door opener while you’re away.

If you are interested in starting Neighborhood watch on your street, go to www.blockwatch.com to learn a bit more about the program and contact Richard Tirrell via email at retirrell@comcast.net for start-up help. It is up to us to stand together for the health and safety of Hiddenbrooke, with as little as one meting a year with your neighbors you can help make your home, your neighborhood and the entire community, a safer place. 

Richard Tirrell, Hiddenbrooke Community Association