If you are leaving town:
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" February newsletter:
Crime in Lake Smith Terrace, Haygood Point, Governor Square is almost nonexistent today. It wasn’t too long ago that our community was constantly showing up on the weekly crime reports. We had larcenies from vehicles, belongings stolen from sheds and garages and on a couple of occasions from people’s homes. We worked with the police and asked our neighbors to increase their vigilance. Little by little we saw improvement. Yes, we still get the occasional report of larceny from a vehicle but in most cases, those are isolated incidents and could have easily been prevented.
I think the main reason for the reduction in the number of crimes is the fact that everyone bought into the benefits of Neighborhood Watch and realized that the more people that were watching for suspicious individuals the better it was for them. You can watch over your own property effectively but not 24/7, but you and 4 or 5 of your nearby neighbors watching each other’s property intermittently will do it much better and when everyone else in our community does the same thing, we have a safer place to live.
In another month or so the weather will st art to warm up and we will be spending more time outside enjoying our beautiful, safe, friendly community. Make it a habit to greet each other. Just a friendly wave and a smile will go a longway to make someone feel a part of the community. Getting to know each other builds relationships that will help keep your home and family safe and make our community a more enjoyable place to live. We are all in this together.
Neighborhood Watch has become about quality of life too. Neighborhood Watch brings neighbors together. Knowing your neighbor also means caring for your neighbor. If a single elderly neighbor is on oxygen or has other serious health issues a nearby neighbor should know about it. In the event of a power outage, who is going to check on that person? These are things that we can do for each other. This is something that Neighborhood Watch people should do besides looking out for each other’s property. Caring about
your neighbors will help make your community safer too. Being a good neighbor helps make your home a more pleasant place for your family to live.
Thank you for making Lake Smith Terrace, Haygood Point, and Governor Square a great place to live.
Sam Hribal, Civic League Vice President
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Last updated - February 16, 2025