We had a good turn out for the first meeting, would have liked to have more though.  WIlliwaw area turned out to ask questions and see what they can do to improve their area.  WPD had two officers attend, which was really apprecaited.

 

Some of the major points of the evening were:

Williwaw would like to start a neighborhood watch program and were given names on who to contact, but first we should get about another 10 people involved before taking the request to Public Safety.

 

Adding lighting is a major preventative action, WPD Sgt stated that "Every house that I have gone to after a burglary, the primary reason they chose that house was because there wa no lighting, it was dark and it concealed their movement and allowed them to have the time to check the place out. Trees around you, people want their privacy at the same time you got to have the lighting to prevent the people who are up to no good and 80% of the homes I have been to after a burglary- its because of poor lighting, no lighting in the back- motion sensors are phenominal, they use very little energy but when they do turn on,  use the biggest and brightest bulb you've got". "A lot of it is prevention, put some time into prevention and realize the criminals want to hit the easiest one.  If there is lights, potential for someone to see them, especially if you have a driveway that is easilly visible from the road, they're going to go to the back, but if there are motion lights in the back- they are going to find somewhere else thats dark".  He mentioned that he has lights that come on as soon as someone enters his driveway, which prevents them from even considering looking further. He mentioned that if you make your place a inviting target- they will look at it.

 

A resident mentioned she had a neigbhbor come to her door and put a gun in her face because her dog was in their yard, what do you do in a case like that?- She was told to close the door and call 911.

 

(WPD) About mentally ill persons- It was mentioned that there are three parts to dealing with these people, and the record hasn't been very good.  The three parts are the Police, who do the best they can and remove the danger, then the courts which decide the punishment (if any) and corrections, that houses them.

 

 

A delay in arrival of the Troopers was mentioned by a couple residents, and it was explained that the Troopers have been understaffed for a number of years and that they have been hiring as much as possible but the amount of candidates that pass all the tests are low so they have to do what they can with the amount of staffing they have.

 

This year there were 4 businesses in one mall that were broken into in one night, , vandalized and items were stolen- unfortunately they had only one light in the back alley and it was not very bright, which encourages crime because the criminals can't be seen.  The bad part is this mall still hasn't added any lighting, but built stronger doors, but they will probably be hit again.

 

(WPD) About home invasions in the Valley- the victimology of the crimes here show that the victims knew the suspects, and most of it invovles drugs. We dont have the home invasion where  they are random, the victomology is they all know each other.

 

Using video in the neighborhood was mentioned, and a homeowner stated they would be glad to have one put up to record their street area as it is high in activity.

This does not mean it would have to be streaming on the internet- but could be just recorded, and any evidence would be turned over to AST. The possibility of criminals taking revenge on someone with streaming video was also mentioned, but the streaming video would be just of a street to show traffic, not a particular home or person that is suspicious.

 

WPD does not respond to the Williwaw area- it is out of their jurisdiction. This is not a reason to be upset with WPD, if your in AST area, you should get to know the troopers in your area, start asking them to make a drive through if there is illegal activity, and take good desricptions.  Video is a great witness as it is not biased.  If you live near a house that you suspect is dealing or performing criminal activities, contact the patrol, we would be glad to start some surveillance, record plates and turn it over for investigation. This does not have to be done in an apparant way- but can make a difference!

 

Residents were encouraged to start making reports of possible crimes or suspicious activity.

 

Differant types of surveillance equipment was mentioned, and the Patrol offered to let someone use the equipment for free to document activity in the Williwaw area.

 

Differant crimes were discussed, and the Meadowbrook Subdivision Neighborhood Watch was praised for their preventative actions to stop crime to include their web page where many report suspicious activity and keep in contact with each other.

 

Persons that purchase or owns weapons were strongly encouraged to take a class on how to use them and to be proficient. Also they were requested to get informed of their rights and responsibilities concerning weapons.

 

WPD mentioned that you must report all weapons to a police officer if your are stopped, this includes pepper spray, a stun gun or any other type of weapons to include knives...