Need For Active Reporting

Good afternoon all,

We are continuing to have reports of cars having their windows removed, suspicious behavior, gas siphoning, garage doors vandalized, and seeing evidence of vandalism and graffiti in the park recently. Warm weather and kids being out of school statistically increases incident rates for these "petty" crimes,  which is why we really need everyone to report all acts of this nature to the Sheriff's Dept. so that they can increase their presence in the neighborhood. Time and time again, our local Sheriff POP officer and  the the local CHP POP officer have advised us clearly that decisions about where officers are going to spend their time daily depends on several factors, including the number of reported incidences in a given area. Although these crimes may seem insignificant, and there is understandable feelings that the Sheriff's can't/won't do anything about siphoned gas, or a kicked in garage door for instance, it's vital that we keep them aware of the problems we face, and that we stay vigilant so that activity levels don't increase to more substantial problems. When contacting local law enforcement, please provide them as much detail as possible about possible suspects, including physical descriptions, apparel, car license plates/make/model, and specifics of behavior. If you experience any negative behavior by dispatchers, stay calm, do your best to give them all relevant information, and report issues to POP officer Dennis Peyton at dpeyton@sacsheriff.com.

Some examples of vandalism reported recently:

Benches found piled on top of each other and in the wrong place on Sunday morning 5/19/2013. Almost a dozen youths were rousted from the park after dark the night before.

This is a serious concern as a fire hazard and trash in the area shows a large amount of cigarette butts and alcohol containers present.

This tagging has been found on trash cans within Jan Park and on several fire hydrants throughout the neighborhoods. We are contacting the appropriate people to find out if these are known gang related symbols and how to remove them from hydrants.

So, how do we battle this?

The most important thing we can do is be active, aware, and vigilant about reporting suspicious behavior and crimes in progress. Trust your instincts. You know who belongs in your area and what is "normal" activity in your neighborhood-do not be afraid to report something that just seems fishy. It is entirely up to all of us to determine the kind of place we want to live in and help local law enforcement be aware of our problems and concerns so that they can do their job. Don't assume that your neighbor will call. If something is wrong, be proactive and pick up the phone!

• Report ALL crimes in progress to 911
• Call the non-emergency number 916-874-5115 to report suspicious activity
• SOME SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES ARE. . . 
  Suspicious activities can refer to incidents, events, individuals, 
  or any activity that seems unusual or out of place. 
  
  
  Common suspicious activities include: 
  • A stranger loitering in your neighborhood 
  • A vehicle cruising the streets repeatedly 
  • Someone peering into cars or windows 
  • A high volume of traffic going to and coming from a home 
  on a daily basis 
  • Someone loitering around schools, parks or secluded areas 
  • Strange odors coming from a house or building 
  • Open or broken doors and windows at a closed business or 
  unoccupied residence 
  • Someone tampering with electrical, gas or sewer systems 
  without an identifiable company vehicle or uniform 
  • Sounds of breaking glass; gunshots; screaming or fighting 
  • Strangers removing license plates or loading valuables into 
  vehicles from a residence, even if the moving truck looks 
  legitimate   
  
  
  
  
• Please report any incidences, great or small to your street coordinator and alert Olivia or I so that we can keep a running log of occurrences in the area. We will be sure to respect your privacy at all times when sharing reports and by reporting to us and your neighborhood watch street coordinators what is going on, we can make sure we educate those around us, and get the attention of local law enforcement so they can act.

This our neighborhood and we love it. If we all work together and take an active approach to safety, there is nothing we can't do!!