If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Jeff Trueman at
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NWCP December 15 meeting with neighbors
In response to a series of incidents in the Fells Prospect/Upper Fells/Butcher's Hill area, several neighbors set up a meeting with the Northwest Citizen's Patrol (NWCP), a group that has been active for 29 years in helping to keep their neighborhood safe.
A special note of thanks goes to Zippy Larson for suggesting the meeting.
Here is the summary from Jeff Trueman, one of the attendees:
"Neil Shachter, NWCP President, met with six of us from Fells Prospect/Butcher Hill neighborhoods. He was very gracious and patient answering all of our questions. NWCP has decades of experience. They have loads of resources and are on the cutting edge. But they started small and we will have to do the same. The key is consistency. We have to take the long view in terms of seeing results. NWCP does not prevent all crime in their district and they don't expect to. But over time, thugs have come know that it's much easier to pick on other neighborhoods. The dynamic between NWCP and police works well because the police are happy to have the NWCP so that police officers can be deployed elsewhere. And in return, NWCP gets all the support and assistance it needs from the police and public officials. They depend on each other.
Thus, as Mr. Shachter recommended, an effective COPs program here is going to take coordination with district police and our neighboring communities, some education, a focused effort at first on a just a couple of crimes, and above all a sustained commitment from us. That means time out of our busy lives. The number of people who get involved impacts how much ground we can cover and how often. The more people, the lower the burden on anyone - a critical piece to prevent burnout.
We decided to focus on two crimes: burglary and robbery. I'm not sure how just yet but that's a good place to start. I'm sure all the 311 stuff and other crimes observed can and should be reported as well. But, just talking off the top of my head, maybe we can monitor or group-patrol some alleys and escort residents from their cars to their homes from 7-10 pm or something inn order to address those two crimes in particular.
Once we know how many people will participate, from what neighborhoods, and how often, we need to meet with district commanders. We need some education: what to do, and what not to do. We're not police and will not provoke anyone. We are only the eyes and ears who will communicate with the police and let them do their job.
So I guess the first step is know who how many in our neighboring communities are interested. Ideally, you would patrol time per month for a few hours. I think we need at least 50 people so that people are out often over a wider area. The geographic area may be determined by the participants who will understandably want to include their own block.
Feel free to chime in but understand this is about a nascent effort to help police fight crime in our neighborhoods. Everything else--civic dysfunction, taxes, whatever--are valid issues but don't concern a COPs program."
