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" September newsletter:

Keeping our neighborhood safe is a collective responsibility

Our crime rate is very low because everyone works to keep our community safe by watching out for our neighbors and their property. One of the things that we do to improve relationships with our neighbors is the National Night Out events that are held throughout the Community every year on the first Tuesday in August.

We celebrate National Night Out by having several get together's throughout our community. Some neighbors have snacks and drinks and others just gather on a corner or in a driveway and enjoy each other's company. Last year there were about a dozen individual neighbors that hosted a National Night Out gathering. Everyone that I have talked with over the years said that they were glad that they attended and were looking forward to the next one. It’s a good time to catch up on local gossip with your neighbors that you only occasionally see. Also, members of the VBPD 3rd Precinct and other city officials visit as many locations as they can. If you want to host one for the first time, it can be anything that you want it to be. Consider hosting one for

your neighbors next year.

Eight of our neighbors hosted National Night Out events this year. The rain and the Primary Elections seemed to hold down attendance somewhat but everyone that attended had an enjoyable time. If you didn’t attend one, try to make it next August. You can meet your neighbors and some of the police officers that stop by. This year we had twelve or fifteen police officers, Animal Control, and Commonwealth Attorney’s personnel making the rounds of our events.

A special thank you to this year's national night out hosts: 

Teresa Gray on Chippendale Court, 

Heather Brinkman on Crossborough Road, 

James Dean on E. Chippenham Rd., 

Beth Toone on Moultrie Circle,

Tracie Silver on Haygood Point Road, 

Carolyn Walsh on Five Forks Rd., 

Wayne Middleton on Copperfield Rd., 

Hannah Bocks on Five Forks Rd.

National Night Out is a community event everyone is encouraged to Participate

Sam Hribal, Civic League Vice President