1 Neighborhood Watch group so far in response to big Midland meeting
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A heavily attended Midland-area Neighborhood Watch meeting last November has produced one Neighborhood Watch group to date.
Long-time resident Mark Arnold is the block captain for a Watch program that takes in the 2400 block of Hagerman Street, plus Bott Park. The main point he had to convince people of is that “we're just watching the neighborhood, not the neighbors,” he said. Arnold had attended the November meeting, which attracted up to 70 people at Midland Elementary and featured Police Sgt. Robert Harris, who oversees Neighborhood Watch for the Gold Hill Substation. Several of the attendees shared stories about crime or suspicious activities near their homes. Meeting organizer Hope Fonseca, another long-time Midland resident, has since said that she was pleased at the turnout and that her main goal had not necessarily been to create numerous Watch groups but to “get everyone together and tell about their problems.” Harris said he welcomes the chance to meet with residents who want to establish the program in Midland or any other Westside areas. For more information, call him at 385-2117. A Neighborhood Watch is a way for residents, typically in one- or two-block areas of 10 to 12 homes, to work together to look out for crime. Westside Pioneer article |