Written by Helen Niemiec, Correspondent
It was shortly after 4 a.m. when a Redford Township resident peered out his window and saw two people walking down the sidewalk. Then they seemed to disappear.
Knowing that there were vacant houses nearby, he got suspicious and called 9-1-1.
“It was great,” said Police Officer Jennifer Mansfield, the officer in charge of Neighborhood Watch. “Officers were able to catch the criminals inside the house, while they were cutting up copper to steal. These criminals later confessed to a total of six burglaries in the area.”
The three pieces of Neighborhood Watch, Mansfield said, are commitment to the community, familiarity with your neighbors and education.
The police can arrest and the police can investigate, but it is the people who live in a neighborhood who are the best “eyes and ears” for police, since officers can't be everywhere.
The sour economy has produced an increased number of break-ins, thefts and other “crimes of opportunity” throughout the region, including Redford. Another fact of a bad economy is the vacant homes and an influx of new residents because house prices or rent becomes more affordable.
The combination of those economic realities plus neighbors not knowing each other can create a cauldron of more criminal opportunities.
Redford had a strong watch program 15 years ago but with a strong economy at the time, there were fewer incidences of thefts so the interest waned. Redford is combating the crime rate battle by pushing for more blocks to get involved in the Neighborhood Watch program. Neighbors are encouraged to get to know each other, talk about what they notice and then get updates from the police department and also training in such things as “what is a suspicious activity.”
“Some areas have very strong Neighborhood Watch groups,” Mansfield said. “They are doing a great job of making calls.”
The strongest areas include the Jefferson Neighborhood Association, Pickford and Brady. Mansfield's wish list includes strong Neighborhood Watch groups in the Five Points, where the township limits are, areas east of Beech and the very center of the township.
More help needed
Currently there are 115 block captains representing 80 blocks in the township. “It's a good number but I'd love to see 250 block captains and then we'd be covered,” she said.
“These people are taking responsibility for the safety of their neighborhood. It's also a great way to strengthen the neighborhood because everyone gets to know each other,” she explained.
Neighborhood Watch isn't a huge time commitment, with update meetings held only every four to six weeks, but more of a promise to keep one's eyes open and report suspicious activities.
Watch members have access to a special website that Mansfield maintains, with information about crime in the neighborhoods, ongoing investigations and the meeting schedule for the watch groups.
“Membership has its privileges, as they say. I don't want to make it a public website because then the bad guys know who we're looking for or when all of our homeowners are at a meeting and leaving houses unguarded,” Mansfield said.
All residents have access to the Redford Township website, where the police department updates general information and can sign up for Nixle crime alerts that are sent as text messages to phones.
“It has definitely helped,” Mansfield said of the rejuvenation of the watch program.
At the meetings, people ask questions, share information and Mansfield will present a topic about how to help the police. Her most recent presentation was on how to determine what suspicious activity is.
“The people have gotten good with this part. They're calling us more often and more regularly now with good information,” Mansfield said. “As a matter of fact, the other officers are asking me to tell them to call earlier. They are so worried about being wrong that they wait until they're absolutely certain before they call. With an earlier contact, we can check it out and if it's a bad guy, we can arrest them while in the act. If they call too late, we get a description and a license plate number.”
Often those plates have been stolen so it's a dead end for investigations.
“We're all learning so that's the good part,” Mansfield said.
Neighborhood policing
With a large turnover in neighborhoods and the current trend of people spending more hours indoors, many don't see what is going on right outside their houses. People aren't outside or in their yards as much, aren't chatting with neighbors over the fence and don't really know anyone who doesn't live within a house or two of their own home.
Mansfield and Police Chief Eric Gillman said reigniting the old way of life, getting to know the neighbors, is the critical piece in a successful Neighborhood Watch program.
“It breaks down a lot of stereotypes, when you get to know the people on your block,” Mansfield said.
Gillman said that homeowners often have looked upon renters as a transient part of their neighborhood and therefore not desirable. In this economy, he said, renting often is the best a family can do at the time.
“We have tons of regular renters who are vested in the community. They are long-term renters and they are as committed to the community as the person who owns a home,” Gillman said.
Another stereotype that is being dashed is that homeowners who have left Detroit for Redford are not going to become a part of the community.
“You have to realize that people who moved here from Detroit or any community, they came here because they want a better life. These newcomers can be our strongest support of a watch program because they don't want their new neighborhood to become what they left,” Gillman said. “The new people are like the longtime residents who want to keep the neighborhood safe and have a place our kids can walk down the street.”
Mansfield recently put together a Neighborhood Watch picnic, something she plans to do annually. Members from across the township came together for an afternoon of socializing and sharing information and thoughts.
The grassroots efforts are paying dividends, Mansfield said.
“This has been getting people to take responsibility for their neighborhood. You want your officers to catch the crooks and we need to information to get them. It's a good working arrangement,” Mansfield said.
Individuals who want more information or want to start a watch program on their block should send an e-mail to Mansfield at jmansfield2@redfordpd.org.
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