Neighborhood Watch

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Do not leave your vehicles unlocked

• Do not leave anything of value visible from outside your vehicle
• Park in your driveway or garage if possible
• Keep sheds and garages locked
• Leave your outside lights on all night
• Become more involved in your community, join your Civic League

If you are leaving town:

• Alert a trusted neighbor
• Stop newspaper and mail delivery
• Install timers on interior and exterior lights
• Leave a car parked in your driveway or ask a neighbor to park their car In your driveway
  

If you suspect anything out of the ordinary, see suspicious people, or see suspicious activity in the neighborhood: call the VBPD non

emergency number, 757-385-5000. Give them a description of the person or persons and describe why you feel they are acting suspicious. If you see an actual crime being committed or about to be committed, call VBPD at 911 immediately.
Some of us may be hesitant to report suspicious people or vehicles fearing that we will be regarded as “snoops”. Your own neighbors are your single best security device. The greatest deterrent to a would-be criminal is the fear of getting caught. Each concerned citizen is another pair of eyes to let the criminal know that he is being watched. You are a vital part of Neighborhood Watch. One or two people cannot watch 907 homes. It takes all of us to do our part. Thank you for doing your part it’s paying off.

From the "Lake Smith Ripples" May newsletter:

Keeping our neighborhood safe is a collective responsibility

After our community had been virtually crime free for the past year, we had several vehicles broken into just this past month. With quick action by neighbors and our police, one male was arrested and a warrant was issued for his abettor. These are the first vehicle break-ins in our neighborhood in a long time. If everyone keeps their vehicles locked, criminals will move on to other areas. As long as their efforts are fruitful, they will keep coming back. Keep your doors locked and anything of value out of sight. 

Be aware that the speed limit everywhere in our community is 25 mph. Watch your speed as we will be asking the VBPD to monitor speeds in our community this summer. 

As temperatures across the country rise, so do the number of deaths of children left or trapped inside sweltering automobiles. The inside of a car on a hot day heats up incredibly high and quickly. In a short time, temperatures of 120° to 140° can occur. The heat overwhelms their ability to regulate their core temperature and the child quickly loses consciousness. 

Our community National Night Out has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2026. National Night Out is a community–police partnership that aims to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, neighborhood watch, and other anti-crime efforts. Initially, communities held lights-on vigils. Now the focus of National Night Out is to bring neighbors and community together, with block parties and various other events. The Haygood point, Lake Smith Terrace, Governors Square community celebrates National Night Out by having several events throughout the neighborhood. Everyone is encouraged to participate by having an event or attending one that is nearby. An event can be just gathering your immediate neighbors in your driveway or expanding your invitations to more areas near you. Last year a couple of our events had 40+ people and others had 10 or so. A cookout and potluck are fun but the most enjoyable part is meeting your neighbors face-to-face. The police officers from the 3rd precinct try to visit as many events as they can. As we get closer to August I will post locations of National Night Out events in our area on the civic league website, www.lhgcl.org. If you want more information on having an event, contact me at samhri@verizon.net. Have a safe and crime free summer

Sam Hribal, Civic League Vice President