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Dave Wallace: Reduce crime in Craig by getting involved in neighborhood watch programs

Clearing the fresh blanket of snow from the driveway this past Christmas morning reminded me of a point in time several years ago. The conditions were similar as I left for work around 4 a.m. and headed south on Washington toward the park. The street was peaceful and very quiet with a covering of fresh snow. I sipped on a cup of coffee while Little Blue rolled quietly down the street, leaving the first set of tracks through the sleeping neighborhoods. Oh, wait just a minute, I now see a set of footprints in the snow, and realize I am not the first to travel the quiet avenue. An early morning walker had left an odd, zig-zag pattern in the snow moving from one side of the street to the other. It didn’t take long to realize somebody had been traveling from mailbox to mailbox. What I was looking at concerned me, so I placed a call to the local law enforcement hoping they might catch up with the “Midnight Mailman.” I was never informed of the outcome.

This leads me to another situation I observed several years ago that involved a landlord and tenant. At the request of the landlord, a local law enforcement officer had been invited to the property to investigate some concerns. While the officer was in the front yard, the neighbor lady walked over to the property line to see what was going on. The officer then asked the woman a question and was met with a response of “I don’t want to get involved.”

Criminal or suspicious activity is not the only issue residents should be aware of; unsafe and hazardous conditions should be corrected or reported, as well, in order to prevent an accident or injury. This is all part of building a safe community. With our crime rate being greater than 63 percent of all U.S. towns and cities, I urge everybody to become involved. Even though our local law enforcement does a great job, I don’t believe they can prevent all crimes. We need to have a joint effort. Community residents can help improve this rating through participation and awareness. We must discourage criminal activity before a crime is committed. A high crime rate is very destructive to a community that is trying to promote growth and prosperity.

I believe neighborhood watch participation is very beneficial in the reduction and prevention of crime. I urge all residents of our community to participate and become the driving force as we move forward in the quest to prevent criminal activity. Building discipline while driving out dysfunction will result in a much safer and more attractive community. Let us all bring in the New Year with a commitment to be involved as we stand against community crime. Let us set a goal in 2018 to improve safety and pride within our community.

I wish everybody a safe and Happy New Year.

Dave Wallace

Craig


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