Neighborhood Watch

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1. 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:

TThere hasn’t been any criminal activity in our community recently that I have been made aware of. However,….

just because there hasn’t been any criminal activity in our neighborhood, we still need to continue to be vigilant. Your immediate neighbors are the best crime deterrent. They watch out for you because they know that you are watching out for them. This is one of the reasons why we have such low crime. With so many people in our neighborhoods walking, running, biking and working in their yards it is difficult for would be criminals to get away with anything without being seen.

Lock your vehicles. How many times have you read this or heard it? It’s not just our high traffic thoroughfares where this is occurring but in cul-de-sacs, more remote areas and up long driveways. Do not leave valuables or anything that looks like it contains something valuable visible in your vehicle. Criminals have many ways to get into your locked vehicle and if they see something that

they really want --- they will get in, one way or another. A broken side window in your car will cost at least $500-$1000 to repair and with most insurance deductibles you will end up paying. If you see anyone checking to findunlocked vehicles call the police, 911, do not confront them. There have been instances where shots were fired at people who tried to scare them off.

This will be the last newsletter until September. I would like everyone to put National Night Out on the calendar. It will be August 5th this year. This event is for everyone in our community. It is not limited to just Civic League members. Every year we are having more and more people hosting one of these events. If you want more information on how to host one, contact me samhri@verizon.net. It can be anything that you want it to be. Just make up a flyer with time and place and put it on your neighbor’s door. Some are just 5 or 6 people gathering in a driveway and others are 20 or more people with grills & coolers, cakes & cookies sharing with their neighbors. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Anything goes just as long as it brings people together. We have been doing this for the last several years and the comment that I consistently hear is “this is great, I can’t wait for next year”. Every year the police try to make appearances at each group.

Enjoy the summer. Get outside and enjoy our beautiful neighborhood.

Sam Hribal, Civic League Vice President