Neighbor alert- suspicious car

5/23/13 around 2:00 a.m. my night owl son and a couple of friends saw a "low rider Cadillac" go slowly down Mineral Court to the cul-de-sac, come back up Mineral Court, turn and slowly go up Callanan Court, come back down, turn right back onto Mineral Court, leave Barrett Highlands only to do a u turn on Mineral Dr, come back and park near the Barrett Highlands sign with headlights off for about 20 min. Chris and his friends kept an eye on the car during that 20 min. and did not see anyone get out of the car.

Suspicious behavior, including people watching homes from cars that clearly are not supposed to be there, is definitely something to call into the Sheriffs Dept. While someone may not be engaging in inappropriate or criminal behavior, it's important that we watch out for people casing neighborhood homes or looking for opportunities for theft.

Thanks for keeping us up to date, and keep up the great work all!

Notes from last night's Sheriff Community Meeting

Thank you to everyone from our area who attended this meeting and for providing notes to help share with others who were unavailable to attend.

Sheriff Community Meeting Notes

The number #1 thing that Sheriff's Dept. representatives pointed out: 

"Be the squeaky wheel. Call the Sheriff and report what happened... "it's not on our radar if you don't call".

This meeting was the last neighborhood/Sheriff meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept 17th, same location

The first part of the meeting covered last month's topics which were:

• There are over 200 massage parlors in Sac County. Some are under investigation as fronts for prostitution. 

• The smoke shops are under investigation for selling tobacco to minors

• The Park Ranger and Sheriff are running the problem youths out of Del Campo Park. Unfortunately, they are going to Jan Park.

• Sheriff Denise again encouraged the neighbors to read Prop 215 and Senate Bill 420 and see what the people voted for. Summer is here and grow houses are popping up and they DO attract crime. 

This month, subject matters brought up were:

Someone mentioned the problem of people siphoning gas and breaking into cars in the neighborhood at which point, an older woman shared her story:

• She said her house was broken into at 7:45 AM a week or so ago while she was taking a shower. The house is located on Heritage Drive. They broke into her garage using a crow bar, then broke into her house. They stole her purse and left. The purse was found on Rustic Way minus the cash. She was able to recover her purse, credit cards and cell phone. These thugs knocked on the door 2 house down at 7:35 AM and a lady answered her door. She saw 2 Caucasian men dressed all in black were outside her door. The second guy was sitting down outside away from the door. The lady did not call in this activity. These guys left and hit the house where they thought no one was home 2 doors down. 

• The Sheriffs warned about burglars scouting houses, banging on the door to see if anyone answers. If not, they hop the fence and break in the the house. Be alert to these people scouting the neighborhood. Call the Sheriff and be sure to get a good description. DO NOT ENGAGE. Let the sheriff get these people. 

Regarding park ranger patrols:

Additional funds were located to have a park ranger patrol Carmichael Park and Del Campo Park. Jan Park is currently not on this list, however we are making every effort to continue to request from the park district help in protecting our park and keeping criminal behavior, loitering, and suspicious individuals from occurring. We will keep you updated here on this ongoing effort.

In regards to the county leash law:

Neighbors who had questions about enforcement were told to call animal control at least to document a complaint. The fines are low for violating the code so people typically ignore the fine.

National Night Out - August 6th  

Side Note: 

We (our neighborhood watch groups) are registered with the National Association of Town Watch who puts this on and will be sharing information soon about what/how to organize a neighborhood event. Check out the link on our left hand sidebar for more information.

Requests for a permit to close off a street for a party must be submitted by July 19th. 

How to respond to police activity:

If a sheriff helicopter is orbiting your area, stay inside and lock doors. Do not go out to see what is going on. If you see a police dog being used, it is because they are trying to locate someone who just committed a serious crime or they are trying to catch a dangerous felon. Stay inside your house. If there is someone in your yard, call 911 so the sheriff can focus their search.

Found Dog- Please Help Us Get Her Home! UPDATE-FOUND HER OWNERS

UPDATE: We are very happy to report that thanks to responsible pet owners who microchipped their dog and the Blue Cross Vet Hospital for checking for it, we were able to reunite this sweet old girl with her family quickly! I'm so glad to live in a neighborhood like this where people care and stop to help animals in need :) Thanks again all!

Hi neighbors,

Would you please do us a huge favor and get the word spread around that a neighbor found a trained and well behaved golden retriever female (who ran right into her garage) this afternoon, 5/21/13, near the corner of Jan Drive and California Avenue. She has grayish/whitish hairs on her muzzle which makes us think she's an older dog and she is currently wearing a collar, but with no tags. Please share these pictures and let us know if you know who her family is-she is obviously a well loved friend!

Please contact me through email to share any news of her rightful owners or tips.

 Thank you so much for your help, it is sincerely appreciated!!

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!!

New reports in Jan Park Watch and reminder of Sheriff's Community Meeting 5/21/2013

Hi folks,

Be sure to check in for continuing posts regarding Jan Park Watch on the Park Watch- Incident Report page on the right hand sidebar. Now with the weather getting warmer, and given the recent spout of gas siphoning, car break ins, and graffiti in the park and on the hydrants, it's really important that we report any activity in the park that is suspicious at any time of day, and entry into the park at night. If you would like to report anything, please contact the Sheriff's non-emergency line if a crime is not in progress, 911 to report a crime, and let us know here so we can share our efforts to keep our neighborhood safe. We will be requesting Carmichael Recreation and Park District ranger patrols through the park to help support us in these endeavors, so do be sure to keep your dogs on a leash and remind your teens that the park is not accessible after dark. Thank you so much for your help!

One more reminder that day after tomorrow,  Tuesday May 21st at 6 pm there will be a meeting at Del Campo High School Library for the Community meetings with the Sacramento Sheriffs Dept. Our local POP officer, Officer Dennis Peyton will be there to connect with concerned citizens, and to give us updates on their ongoing efforts to provide everyone with a safe community. Hope to see you there!


Location of Del Campo High School
4925 Dewey Drive



View Larger Map

Found kittens in Jan Park - Can you help?

UPDATE: We have been incredibly lucky to find a neighbor who is willing to foster these tough little guys and get them some medical care until we can find forever homes for them. Please do let Olivia or I know if you are interested in them as future household pets, and a sincere thank you to a great local resident who is opening her home to help out these orphans.

I know this isn't a safety issue, but because it does involve the park, and we have posted for lost animals before, I felt like I could share this here with you all and see if we can find a way to help these little guys out.

Someone decided to dump two kittens in a tupperware bin in the creek running through Jan Park sometime recently ( we are hoping we found all of the litter-keep a look out on the trail near the creek closest to Jan) and our dear head coordinator, Olivia, found them this morning. They are two 10 week old males who are very scared, but seem to be in good health and will surely be sweet pets to someone if we can find them a home. One has a missing eye that seems to be a birth defect according to a local vet at VCA, so it's unlikely to be an issue other than cosmetic. Please share this picture and consider if you might have room in your home for these cute little guys, or to foster them until we can find a suitable home for them. Please contact Olivia or myself as soon as possible-we sincerely appreciate any help you might be able to offer and thanks for looking at this post :)


As a general informational point, animals that can no longer be taken care of should never be left to "fend" for themselves, or left for someone else to handle. Feral cats face a very difficult, short, and dangerous life of disease and struggle-not one of freedom and just being cute fluffy predators. If you run across someone who has questions or concerns about getting rid of animals they can't keep, please point them towards the Sacramento County Animal Shelter http://www.animalcare.saccounty.net/Pages/default.aspx 916-368-7387, the Sacramento SPCA http://www.sspca.org/ 916-383-7387, or one of a number of rescues within the area listed here: http://www.sacanimal.org/placement-adoption/rescue-groups/




Thank you again for your attention and stay cool and safe this weekend!

Neighbor Alert: Gas Siphoning and Theft From Vehicles

Gas Siphoned and Personal Theft from Vehicles!!!!

Please share with neighborhood watch participants.

2 incidents were recorded 5/15/13:

Stoney Way

Wanted to pass on that we had gas siphoned out of our vehicle last night.  David found the gas cap hanging this morning and also noticed our neighbor across the street had an open gas cap.  Both cars were parked in the street.  Very frustrating and disconcerting that someone would do that!  Please spread the word to be on the lookout for people siphoning gas or carrying gas cans on the street.

Marble Way

Vehicle burglary and gas siphoned of vehicle. Driver's window was broken and items taken.

2 incidents reported 5/17/13 and 5/20/13:

Jan Drive
Gas siphoned, no obvious damage to car.

Jan Drive
Windows popped out of car and items taken from car.

Please keep an eye out for people siphoning gas or carrying gas cans on the street. Also, make sure to remove all items from vehicle to avoid attracting a thief from breaking into your vehicle. Keep vehicles clear of any belongings. Let's do our part to avoid becoming easy targets of crime.

Remember if you see a crime in progress please call 911 or 916-874-5111 (Emergency from cell phone). If gas is siphoned from your vehicle and you notice it the next day please report it to the Sheriff's non-emergency number 916-874-5115. The more calls and reports we make to the Sheriff's office regarding the crime activity in our neighborhood the better, remember if we don't report it, it didn't happen.