Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Ways to Improve Our Neighborhood

Courtesy of Vice Mayor Ashby

http://www.angeliqueashby.com/10-ways-to-improve-neighborhood


10 Ways to Improve Your Neighborhood

1.     Know your Neighbors.
Share information about crime issues in the neighborhood, including suspicious activities. Share your home, work and cell numbers in case of any sensitive issues need to be discussed. Some other ways you can share information are by creating a Facebook page or a yahoo group to get the word out about activity in the neighborhood.
2.     Report suspicious activities to the police. 
This information may be helpful in assisting in locating a crime that has just occurred or to alert the police of issues in a community. Keep a log of calls to the police for your records. The police non-emergency number is 916-264-5471.
3.     Turn on exterior lights at night, set up motion sensing lights if possible.
This is helpful in deterring criminals since most of them don’t like to be seen. Keep your front, side and back porch lights lit at night. If possible, try and put your front porch light on a timer to automatically turn on in the evening hours.
4.     Keeping your community looking nice
This will give notice to a criminal that people in the area care about their neighborhood and are willing to contact the police if there is something going on that might mess it up. You can take a trash bag when you’re out on your daily walks or work with your neighbors on doing a neighborhood clean-up. Report issues of non-working street lights, potholes, overgrown lawns, abandoned cars, vandalism, graffiti, trash and debris that can be seen from the street, etc. to 311. 311 can be reached by phone within City limits or by e-mail at 311@cityofsacramento.org  
5.     Lock your doors and windows and set the home alarm even when you are home. Get a home surveillance system if possible.
Don’t make it easy for criminals, keeping your home locked makes it harder for them to gain access. Having it alarmed makes them noticed if they do. Home surveillance systems that are outside can help identify suspicious activities along with other information that would be helpful for the police.
6.     Park vehicles in the garage. 
Be sure you keep the remote control to the garage in a safe place and don’t leave any bags in the car (if you absolutely must, try and leave the bag open so nothing looks concealed).
7.     Lock the door in your garage leading to your house with a dead bolt. 
Many people think if the garage is closed they’re safe, but in actuality, trespassers can easily break into the garage and enter your home from inside the garage.
8.     Be sure newspapers and flyers are cleared from your porch while on vacation. This is a simple cautionary measure to help keep trespassers from breaking in. When newspapers and flyers build up, it looks like no one’s been home for a while. Try communicating with your neighbors and ask if they can pick them up while you’re away.
9.     Launch a Neighborhood Watch Group. 
Neighborhood Watch Groups are a great tool for neighbors to get together and communicate what’s going on in the area and receive updates from the Police Department. Neighborhood Watch Groups works best when there are at least 10 households participating. If you’re interested in starting a group, give your area crime specialist a call at 916-566-6402.
10.   Use your resources.
I. District 1 has a Police Resource Center where you can file online police reports with the assistance of a trained volunteer. The resource center is located at 2701 Del Paso Road, Suite 140.
    II. District 1 has a Parks Liaison, Elena Quintero, who organizes and coordinates park clean-ups and assists City staff with immediate repairs in the various parks in our district. Elena also facilitates the Adopt-A-Park program. Elena can be reached at equintero@cityofsacramento.org.
  III. Finally, the County has a very useful referral service that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They provide information on employment and training, housing opportunities, financial assistance and much more. Simply dial 211 and you will be transferred to a customer representative.  
Contact:
Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby
916-808-7001

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