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Colorado Springs, CO
In 2009 and 2010 we had some vandals/criminals destroy
property and threaten homes and residents in the middle of
the night. This was our response. Go to REWARD for
information. We have had no incidents since offering this
reward PLUS becoming a Neighborhood Watch community.
property and threaten homes and residents in the middle of
the night. This was our response. Go to REWARD for
information. We have had no incidents since offering this
reward PLUS becoming a Neighborhood Watch community.
June 22, 2010
Neighborhood Watch Meeting
Wainright Residence
Thank you! to Dave and Michelle for hosting this meeting.
7PM to 8:30PM
El Paso County representatives met with approximately 20 homeowners to introduce and
discuss a Neighborhood Watch program.
NW Coordinator: Geri Elsasser (719) 520-7151 geraldineelsasser@elpasoco.com
Sheriff Deputy, Patrol Division: Scott Robblee (719) 520-7182, ext. 40036
scottrobblee@elpasoco.com
Sheriff's Citizen Patrol: Liz Steinweg (719) 520-7573 lizsteinweg@elpasoco.com
El Paso County Sheriff's Office:
Emergency: 911
Non-emergency dispatch: (719) 390-5555
El Paso County Sheriff Web Site
Quick Reference Phone List.pdf
Geri Elsasser gave an introduction to the process of Neighborhood Watch:
Neighborhood Watch Basics.pdf
1. First function/responsibility is Observation. Pay attention to your
surroundings/neighborhood. Be alert as to what is "suspicious" behavior versus "normal"
behavior. Get to know your neighbors, their cars, typical behavior.
2. Second responsibility is Communication. Be in communication with your neighbors, with
the NW Coordinator, with the Sheriff's Office. Pass along observations or information you
receive - immediately- especially to the Sheriff's Office, if you observe any "suspicious"
behavior: (719) 390-5555. If you are witnessing what you believe to be an active crime, call
911. What is suspicious behavior? Anything out of place: open or broken doors/windows at a
home you know to be vacant or no one home; unusual noises such as glass breaking, shouts,
dogs barking (over excitedly or at times they don't usually bark), gunshots, etc.; someone
loitering, walking onto properties. Remember, your responsibility is to report. Never confront
a person or group. Leave that to the Sheriff's office.
The most important lesson we learned is reporting suspicious or unacceptable (such as a
group of teenagers out at night, strange car parked at an empty home or at a home of a
neighbor who is out of town, evidence of vandalism, etc.). The reason for being vigilant and
reporting is to establish patterns of behavior to the Sheriff. It may link to criminal behavior in
other neighborhoods. It will establish a pattern of trouble in our neighborhood.
Why do we "pick" on teen gatherings? Because so much of the vandalism and criminal
behavior has been established to have been done by teens, or points to teens. We have
evidence that people gather to drink alcohol in an outside area of our subdivision. Someone is
continually destroying our spotlights at the entrances to the subdivision. El Paso County has
a curfew. For under 18: 10PM Sunday - Thursday. 12PM Fri/Sat. We will be reporting all
pranks, even supposedly "innocent" pranks such as TPing. We will be reporting any
gathering of young people out after dark, even if before curfew.
3. The third responsibility is to assess your Security. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity:
an unlocked car, an unlocked house/garage door, an open garage door. Look around your
home. Ask yourself what would a criminal see? What about your home/property makes it
vulnerable? How effective are your deadbolt locks? Are they double keyed? If so, do you
have immediate access to that key (not in the lock!). Does the bolt go into a strong frame, or
just into a narrow, weak frame between the door and sidelight? Do trees or shrubs give a
criminal cover while close to your house? Do you have enough lights on at night so that
entrances, dark corners are illuminated? Criminals hate light. Install motion lights, dusk/dawn
lights, timers. Make sure that your address numbers are illuminated and able to be seen
easily at night. Use low wattage bulbs, tilt lights down. You don't want to annoy neighbors,
but make a safe environment.
How to form a Neighborhood Watch
1. Establish some Block Captains. The responsibility of a Block Captain is to represent and
communicate with 5-10 surrounding homes/neighbors. The Block Captain keeps the
neighbors in his group informed, operates a phone tree, coordinates happenings with his
group and the Neighborhood Coordinator and the Sheriff's Office. If we have 10 Block
Captains, we can have the whole area covered!
2. Put NW signs at each subdivision entrance. DOT will install signs at our entrance points.
Other signs, which we can get free (total of 4-5) from the Sheriff's Dept., can be installed on
poles by us, if we wish. Place a NW window sticker in a window, door window or door side
light. You are putting everyone who drives through our area or comes onto our properties
that you will not tolerate criminal activity and will be proactive in reporting
unusual/unacceptable behavior.
3. Participate in the NW program as a group. Communicate often: about any criminal or
unacceptable activity, about upcoming meeting or events (have meetings become fun
gatherings), keep up with the NW newsletters,. The NW Newsletters are published about
every two months and have crime statistics in our and surrounding districts. These will be
passed along by your Block Captains. Look for patterns.
4. Dave Wainwright has agreed to be Neighborhood Coordinator. If you are interested in
being, or learning more about, a Block Captain please, please contact Dave at
djwain@pcisys.net .
Citizen Patrol
Liz Steinweg, Sheriff's Citizen Patrol Coordinator, talked about the volunteer group who
help patrol in the County. Upon request they do vacation checks, welfare checks (e.g. a
home bound or elderly watch), patrol through areas with ongoing trouble. They have a
volunteer group of 25 with 5 cars. Each volunteer may work two times a week. Most to all
have primary jobs. They serve to free up the time of the Sheriff Deputies, who must service
2200 square miles. They are trained to participate in law enforcement duties that do not
require a sworn officer. It may be a Citizen Patrol volunteer who takes a case report,
responds to animal complaints, helps a stranded motorist, does traffic direction, etc. This
uniformed volunteer group and the vehicles are financed out of the Sheriff Department
budget. Their services are free of charge. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer,
please call or email Liz!! Citizens Patrol.pdf
Discussion
Deputy Robblee took several questions from the homeowners. The ongoing thread of his
answers was the importance of communication with his department (report!). We discussed
the importance of personal responsibility of young people - and of their parents. Where does
fun end and criminal activity start? He stressed that even though the deputies are spread
thin, they will respond and depend heavily upon citizen involvement to fight crime.
Crime statistics are in the NW Newsletters, but can be accessed on the Sheriff's web site:
Crime Statistics
A new link about reported crimes on the Sheriff's Home Page (still in beta - a work in
progress) is: Crime Reports
The Newsletter may have district maps (we are District 2) and grid maps (we are Grid
2103) which are not found on the web site. These are interesting to view:
El Paso County Districts Map.pdf
Grid Map.pdf
Grid 2103 (includes HP).pdf
Identity Theft
Geri Elsasser talked briefly about the importance of protecting yourself from identity theft.
It is highly recommended that you have some ID theft protection installed on your computer.
For those items in your possession that are mostly to be stolen, make a written inventory with
original receipts, model and serial numbers or etch identification (driver's license number, not
SS# or your name). Operation Identification.pdf
Refuse To Be A Victim Class
Geri told us about a 4 hour class coming up on Saturday July 24, 2010. It is a free
seminar given by the Sheriff's Office. It will be held at the Criminal Justice Center, 2741 E.
Las Vegas St. To sign up contact Geri at (719) 520-7151 or email
Neighborhoodwatch@elpasoco.com .
Refuse To Be A Victim.pdf
Tips to Prevent Identity Theft.pdf
After the formal meeting
We called for volunteers to be Block Captains. We will have a meeting with interested
folks soon.
We also discussed patrolling the area on weekend nights. This would be in vehicles, and
only to observe, report any unusual activity, and maintain a visible presence. To have this
work, we would need committed volunteers, because this is not an easy task. It would be
useful to have two vehicles (Filing 1&2) out at a time from the approximate hours of 11PM to
3AM. The more people who would be willing to be involved, the less commitment in time per
person. Deputies and Citizen Patrol are spread too thin. It would be too expensive to hire a
security service. How interested are you in stopping vandalism?? Email "Shug" Shuger at
rshuger@msn.com .
When Block Captains or a person on Patrol makes a report, these forms are extremely
helpful: People Report.pdf
Vehicle Report.pdf
"Together we can make a difference"
Neighborhood Watch Meeting
Wainright Residence
Thank you! to Dave and Michelle for hosting this meeting.
7PM to 8:30PM
El Paso County representatives met with approximately 20 homeowners to introduce and
discuss a Neighborhood Watch program.
NW Coordinator: Geri Elsasser (719) 520-7151 geraldineelsasser@elpasoco.com
Sheriff Deputy, Patrol Division: Scott Robblee (719) 520-7182, ext. 40036
scottrobblee@elpasoco.com
Sheriff's Citizen Patrol: Liz Steinweg (719) 520-7573 lizsteinweg@elpasoco.com
El Paso County Sheriff's Office:
Emergency: 911
Non-emergency dispatch: (719) 390-5555
El Paso County Sheriff Web Site
Quick Reference Phone List.pdf
Geri Elsasser gave an introduction to the process of Neighborhood Watch:
Neighborhood Watch Basics.pdf
1. First function/responsibility is Observation. Pay attention to your
surroundings/neighborhood. Be alert as to what is "suspicious" behavior versus "normal"
behavior. Get to know your neighbors, their cars, typical behavior.
2. Second responsibility is Communication. Be in communication with your neighbors, with
the NW Coordinator, with the Sheriff's Office. Pass along observations or information you
receive - immediately- especially to the Sheriff's Office, if you observe any "suspicious"
behavior: (719) 390-5555. If you are witnessing what you believe to be an active crime, call
911. What is suspicious behavior? Anything out of place: open or broken doors/windows at a
home you know to be vacant or no one home; unusual noises such as glass breaking, shouts,
dogs barking (over excitedly or at times they don't usually bark), gunshots, etc.; someone
loitering, walking onto properties. Remember, your responsibility is to report. Never confront
a person or group. Leave that to the Sheriff's office.
The most important lesson we learned is reporting suspicious or unacceptable (such as a
group of teenagers out at night, strange car parked at an empty home or at a home of a
neighbor who is out of town, evidence of vandalism, etc.). The reason for being vigilant and
reporting is to establish patterns of behavior to the Sheriff. It may link to criminal behavior in
other neighborhoods. It will establish a pattern of trouble in our neighborhood.
Why do we "pick" on teen gatherings? Because so much of the vandalism and criminal
behavior has been established to have been done by teens, or points to teens. We have
evidence that people gather to drink alcohol in an outside area of our subdivision. Someone is
continually destroying our spotlights at the entrances to the subdivision. El Paso County has
a curfew. For under 18: 10PM Sunday - Thursday. 12PM Fri/Sat. We will be reporting all
pranks, even supposedly "innocent" pranks such as TPing. We will be reporting any
gathering of young people out after dark, even if before curfew.
3. The third responsibility is to assess your Security. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity:
an unlocked car, an unlocked house/garage door, an open garage door. Look around your
home. Ask yourself what would a criminal see? What about your home/property makes it
vulnerable? How effective are your deadbolt locks? Are they double keyed? If so, do you
have immediate access to that key (not in the lock!). Does the bolt go into a strong frame, or
just into a narrow, weak frame between the door and sidelight? Do trees or shrubs give a
criminal cover while close to your house? Do you have enough lights on at night so that
entrances, dark corners are illuminated? Criminals hate light. Install motion lights, dusk/dawn
lights, timers. Make sure that your address numbers are illuminated and able to be seen
easily at night. Use low wattage bulbs, tilt lights down. You don't want to annoy neighbors,
but make a safe environment.
How to form a Neighborhood Watch
1. Establish some Block Captains. The responsibility of a Block Captain is to represent and
communicate with 5-10 surrounding homes/neighbors. The Block Captain keeps the
neighbors in his group informed, operates a phone tree, coordinates happenings with his
group and the Neighborhood Coordinator and the Sheriff's Office. If we have 10 Block
Captains, we can have the whole area covered!
2. Put NW signs at each subdivision entrance. DOT will install signs at our entrance points.
Other signs, which we can get free (total of 4-5) from the Sheriff's Dept., can be installed on
poles by us, if we wish. Place a NW window sticker in a window, door window or door side
light. You are putting everyone who drives through our area or comes onto our properties
that you will not tolerate criminal activity and will be proactive in reporting
unusual/unacceptable behavior.
3. Participate in the NW program as a group. Communicate often: about any criminal or
unacceptable activity, about upcoming meeting or events (have meetings become fun
gatherings), keep up with the NW newsletters,. The NW Newsletters are published about
every two months and have crime statistics in our and surrounding districts. These will be
passed along by your Block Captains. Look for patterns.
4. Dave Wainwright has agreed to be Neighborhood Coordinator. If you are interested in
being, or learning more about, a Block Captain please, please contact Dave at
djwain@pcisys.net .
Citizen Patrol
Liz Steinweg, Sheriff's Citizen Patrol Coordinator, talked about the volunteer group who
help patrol in the County. Upon request they do vacation checks, welfare checks (e.g. a
home bound or elderly watch), patrol through areas with ongoing trouble. They have a
volunteer group of 25 with 5 cars. Each volunteer may work two times a week. Most to all
have primary jobs. They serve to free up the time of the Sheriff Deputies, who must service
2200 square miles. They are trained to participate in law enforcement duties that do not
require a sworn officer. It may be a Citizen Patrol volunteer who takes a case report,
responds to animal complaints, helps a stranded motorist, does traffic direction, etc. This
uniformed volunteer group and the vehicles are financed out of the Sheriff Department
budget. Their services are free of charge. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer,
please call or email Liz!! Citizens Patrol.pdf
Discussion
Deputy Robblee took several questions from the homeowners. The ongoing thread of his
answers was the importance of communication with his department (report!). We discussed
the importance of personal responsibility of young people - and of their parents. Where does
fun end and criminal activity start? He stressed that even though the deputies are spread
thin, they will respond and depend heavily upon citizen involvement to fight crime.
Crime statistics are in the NW Newsletters, but can be accessed on the Sheriff's web site:
Crime Statistics
A new link about reported crimes on the Sheriff's Home Page (still in beta - a work in
progress) is: Crime Reports
The Newsletter may have district maps (we are District 2) and grid maps (we are Grid
2103) which are not found on the web site. These are interesting to view:
El Paso County Districts Map.pdf
Grid Map.pdf
Grid 2103 (includes HP).pdf
Identity Theft
Geri Elsasser talked briefly about the importance of protecting yourself from identity theft.
It is highly recommended that you have some ID theft protection installed on your computer.
For those items in your possession that are mostly to be stolen, make a written inventory with
original receipts, model and serial numbers or etch identification (driver's license number, not
SS# or your name). Operation Identification.pdf
Refuse To Be A Victim Class
Geri told us about a 4 hour class coming up on Saturday July 24, 2010. It is a free
seminar given by the Sheriff's Office. It will be held at the Criminal Justice Center, 2741 E.
Las Vegas St. To sign up contact Geri at (719) 520-7151 or email
Neighborhoodwatch@elpasoco.com .
Refuse To Be A Victim.pdf
Tips to Prevent Identity Theft.pdf
After the formal meeting
We called for volunteers to be Block Captains. We will have a meeting with interested
folks soon.
We also discussed patrolling the area on weekend nights. This would be in vehicles, and
only to observe, report any unusual activity, and maintain a visible presence. To have this
work, we would need committed volunteers, because this is not an easy task. It would be
useful to have two vehicles (Filing 1&2) out at a time from the approximate hours of 11PM to
3AM. The more people who would be willing to be involved, the less commitment in time per
person. Deputies and Citizen Patrol are spread too thin. It would be too expensive to hire a
security service. How interested are you in stopping vandalism?? Email "Shug" Shuger at
rshuger@msn.com .
When Block Captains or a person on Patrol makes a report, these forms are extremely
helpful: People Report.pdf
Vehicle Report.pdf
"Together we can make a difference"
December 2010
We have our community divided into 10 Blocks and 10 neighbors have stepped up and
volunteered to be Block Captains. Thank you!! Rich Bedwell has made up a graphic showing
the areas and the Block Captains. See Graphic for Areas and Block Captains
Rich has also put together for review a set of Operating Procedures for the NW . The Block
Captains shall meet and settle on a final set of Procedures.
We have our community divided into 10 Blocks and 10 neighbors have stepped up and
volunteered to be Block Captains. Thank you!! Rich Bedwell has made up a graphic showing
the areas and the Block Captains. See Graphic for Areas and Block Captains
Rich has also put together for review a set of Operating Procedures for the NW . The Block
Captains shall meet and settle on a final set of Procedures.