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:

For Neighborhood Watch to be totally effective, each  resident must take an active role in both security

improvement and observation. Stay safe and crime free this summer. Help each other out by keeping watch on

each other’s property. Do your part. Get everyone in your family to do their part too. We are all in this

together. Let’s keep our community a great place to live.

Be alert and cautious when enjoying water sports and activities.

With our hot summer weather more of us will be looking to cool off with a refreshing swim. Virginia Beach is

practically surrounded by water, and we have many lakes, rivers and canals. We all need to be safe when we

are enjoying our time in or near the water, especially

children.

Children: Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. Among children 1 to 4 years old who

died from an unintentional injury, one-third died from drowning. Among children ages 1 to 4, most drownings

occur in home swimming pools. Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, especially

vulnerable are unsupervised children. It happens in lakes and oceans, pools, bathtubs, and even buckets of water.

Males: Nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male. Many adults and children report that they can’t swim or that they are weak swimmers. Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children and young

adults.

https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/index.html

Summer is almost here. Please keep in mind that along with the warm weather and fun activities we may see a

rise in criminal activity. Remember to call all suspicious activity to the police department’s non-emergency

number (757-385-5000). If the circumstance requires immediate police, fire or rescue response, do not hesitate

to call 911. You are not bothering the police when you call, they would much rather respond and have it turn

out to be nothing, than not be called when they are actually needed.

Our neighbors are our best security devices. Unfortunately, many people simply do not take any

effort to know their neighbors. Acknowledge your neighbors when you see them. Just a wave or a friendly

hello will do. We needn’t be close friends with our neighbors in order to look out for their interests. By

knowing when they are at work, on vacation, and so forth, we will be better able to judge whether a stranger

should legitimately be at the neighbor’s home. Inform your neighbors when you will be away and ask them to

let you know when they will be gone. It is a win-win for everyone except would-be burglars.

Don’t speed when driving - Be visible when walking, running, or biking.

Drivers, be aware that the speed limit everywhere in our community is 25 miles per hour. Walkers, runners,

dog walkers and bikers make sure that you will be visible. Wear light, reflective clothing when on the

street. When vehicles are parked on both sides of some of our streets it’s a tight squeeze to drive through. If a

pedestrian is there it becomes downright dangerous.

Have a safe and crime free summer.

Sam Hribal, Civic League Vice President