I'd close the Facebook page ASAP. As long as anyone can post, you're asking for more of the same or worse.

We don't have anything organized, but have had a couple of pot-lucks in our end-of-the-road rural cul-de-sac wit about 12 homes. We know most of the people. Still didn't prevent the son of the couple across the street from killing his wife last year. =:-o

There have been more and more thefts at night around here. Jerks rifling through cars and stealing building material from construction sites, etc. Town Watch is being reactivated. I think the police advise them.

As far as FB goes, you should set it up so people have to be approved by the administrator to join or you will be spammed to death.

You can set up a FB project page where only folks approved by the administrator can join. I do that all the time for projects my students are working on.

I can't really help you with the question Susie, but after having our 40.00 Christmas decoration stolen from our front porch I have been extra watchful. Then I read in today's newspaper that some person or persons stole $81,000 worth of metal beams from a business a mile away. Makes me feel better about the 40.00 item, but they probably had insurance!

Duane

Thanks guys!

As far as the FB page, I am going to let him stay on. He only posted the stats-no other posts and I've been told he is really a good guy so I will let him stay so long as he understands that we are not the police...we simply call dispatch when we hear or see something unusual.

For the most part we are encouraging folks to just get out and intoduce yourself to your neighbors. Say hello amd a quick wave ect...we do not want to interfere with anyones privacy! Heck no!! LOL

We are sponsered by the county police since Napa does not have a police force of our own (yup no cops) we actually we share the cops with the next town.
WE've been assigned a captain who attends all meetings and posts the crime report. He's a no nonsence guy!!
We have a start up budget of $500 which will pay for town watch signs and banners. We will have to have fundraising to do anything else.

One member is part of the school board so he has been sending out info with the kids to take home.
I started the FB page as well as posting the meetings on the county TV channel info scroll. I also posted to a website I belong to called the Women of Gloucester and lastly I put an ad in the 2 area papers.
Another member is posting it in his church bulletin.

I was "thinkin" about making magnets for the fridge with our numbers on them to hand out. The actual magnets are at the craft store for abour $2.00 for 12 and I can do the printing at home.

Me personally, I'd like to see this all get off the ground this month so we'll be ready once the nice weather hits!!

Cheers!
Susie

My neighborhood (Westchester L.A.) has neighborhood watch signs up all over the neighborhood, but I think the neighborhood is concerned more with watching what City Hall does more than anything else. We have campaigns going to try to limit the expansion of LAX into Westchester. Crime is very low where I live, possibly because there is a police academy not far away, and the police cadets like to jog (in uniform) on my street, since it is an extremely quiet street and doesn't really go anywhere except to houses on my street. It makes sort of a loop and there are no outlets going north.

There was a lot more crime in Venice, and even more crime in Culver City, where I lived before Venice. Most of the crime in Venice happens on the boardwalk, however. I was never particularly worried about anyone breaking in, although I did have fruit stolen from my yard and a large pot of cymbidium orchids from the front porch. In Culver City I had my car vandalized twice - once they bashed in my back windshield and the second time they stole my back license plate.

I guess I don't really have direct experience with neighborhood watches, but we did have them in Venice.

Lars

Hi Susie,

A sheriff referred me to the Neighborhood Watch Program site because I wanted to buy a new NWP sign for our neighborhood. You may get some ideas from it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neighborhood Watch Prograrm

Thanks Kathleen...I registered yesterday!

The FB page is up to 53 members including the unofficial mayor of NaPa. He's a local guy, been here forever, his wife and kids are active in the community so I feel if HE is there more folks will surely follow!!

I get a lot of folks tell me they want to get involved but can't attend the meetings either have to work or have other obligations.
Any suggestions??

Cheers!
Susie

I understand what people mean when they say they don't have enough time... it's hard when one works full time. I have found it helps to ask people if they could do XX or XXX. First, more people become involved, secondly, more people means more/other ideas, & third, people are flattered at being asked (also gets away from that old bugaboo of being seen as a clique or of running everything).

And others should do things if they can; it's to their advantage as a community to have the watch program, & it shouldn't just be handed to them on a platter. and it's no different than volunteering at a school, running a soccer program, etc. Maybe if they can't always attend meetings, they could do XXX, such as a one-time something.

Good luck, Susie.