Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Watch Lookout Newsletter - Summer 2009

CHARLOTTE’S CORNER

Download Newsletter in PDF Format  Visit the Neighborhood Watch Website

Here we are again, trying to welcome the warmer days of summer, but still opening our eyes to coastal fog. Even so, there are some activities that keep us emailing to alert you to the criminal happenings in our City. We continue to find that automobiles are more under attack than are our houses, so keep those temptations out of sight and park in your garage, if possible.

Neighborhood Night Out is scheduled for Sunday, August 9, 2009 this year. Many block captains find that it is a perfect time to gather neighbors together to update the e-tree and to meet new folks on the block. Last year dozens of you held gatherings from barbeques to desserts or just meetings with lemonade. In every case, better vigilance for the block was achieved and neighbors became better acquainted.

On October 15, 2009, our ShakeOut Drill to practice the Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) training learned by more than 120 block captains will be held. Forty-one of our blocks have gathered to learn the nine steps to secure their block immediately following an earthquake.  Click the link to view the Map (PDF) which indicates those block captains that have been trained and those that have also trained their block. More of those trained will be holding block trainings before the October ShakeOut date. Our world has shaken several times in the past few months, and recently on the fault closest to us. As a result, the training sessions have been full. Your block meeting is a perfect time to review the emergency training.

During the past several months, we recognized the diligent work of Bill Drake both at our Area Coordinators’ meeting and at City Council. Bill and his wife moved away leaving Ann Martin without her primary supporter. However, her Area 2 is well supported with more than 90% represented by a block captain!

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Neighborhood Watch Fall Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2009. We are looking forward to spending a fun and informative evening with you.

Stay safe, learn more, and gather often. Neighborhood Watch does stop crime!

Our esteemed colleague and long-time Area Coordinator, Bill Drake was honored at the January 27, 2009 City Council meeting, and was honored at a Neighborhood Watch Area Coordinator meeting with his favorite food, cookies and cake, upon his retirement!

A Message from Crime Prevention Officer Mark Vasquez (pictured below):
DON'T BE A VICTIM

Summer is here and with it comes an increase in people visiting our beautiful beaches. But this fact, along with the slow economy, may also mean more opportunities for criminals. Now is the time for all of us to protect ourselves and take preventative actions to ensure our property stays with us! Two of the most common crimes of opportunity, theft from vehicles and vehicle burglaries, often occur because people leave their car doors unlocked or leave valuables in plain sight resulting in losses of purses, briefcases, wallets, laptop computers, cameras, iPods, cell phones, GPS systems, power tools, cash, mail, etc. You get the picture!

However, you can minimize your chances of becoming a victim by taking a few simple steps whether you are just running in for a minute or parking for the evening.

• Keep all vehicle doors and windows closed and locked, even if it’s a quick errand.
  About 30% of vehicle burglaries occur because of this.
• Don’t leave valuables or packages in plain sight. If you must leave something in
  your car, put it in the trunk prior to arriving at your destination.
• Use your security system, or if you don’t have one consider looking into it.
  It may qualify you for a discount on your insurance.
• Park in areas that are visible to the public and well lit. Park your car in the garage
  if possible or the next best thing is to park in the driveway and install motion-sensor
  security lighting.
• Never leave the garage opener in the vehicle allowing a thief easy access to your home.
• Headed to the beach? Burglars are too, so bring as few items as possible and leave
  jewelry and other valuables at home. Keep any necessary items like keys, ID and
  credit cards with you at all times.
• Maintain a list of serial numbers including make and model numbers for all commonly
  used electronic equipment you may keep in your car, like GPS systems, stereo
  faceplates, and iPods. It is also suggested that you engrave your driver’s license
  number on your valuables to aid in their recovery in the event of loss or theft.
• If your car is burglarized, please report it to the Police Department by calling 9-1-1 immediately.

In addition to protecting your own property from criminals, you can be a good neighbor by watching out for suspicious people or activities in your area. No one knows a neighborhood better than the people who live there, so the police depend on the assistance of concerned, responsible citizens. Suspicious activity may include:

• A person looking into parked cars.
• The sound of breaking glass or a car alarm.
• A vehicle without lights at night, cruising slowly or taking a route that seems aimless
  or repetitive.
• Persons walking around neighborhoods pulling on car door handles.

Residents are encouraged to call 9-1-1 or (310) 545-4566 from a cell phone immediately regarding any and all suspicious activity. Don’t worry about feeling embarrassed if your suspicions are wrong; think instead of what could happen if your suspicions were right, but you didn’t call. It is the Police Department’s job to investigate suspicious matters and any help we can give them is appreciated.

AREN'T WE LUCKY? 

As most of you know, our newest disaster response training, Map Your Neighborhood (MYN), has been a big hit with our block captains and their neighbors that have attended this unique training. We have been answering your demand for more training by offering the class once a month for the past several months, including our next session on August 4, 2009. As an added bonus, all blocks that have been trained will have an opportunity to apply what they have learned when the next ShakeOut happens on October 15, 2009. On that date at 10:00 AM, another faux emergency, a simulated large earthquake, will be announced and once again the City will jump into action along with our Police and Fire Departments. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will be helping the community and MYN teams will be responding on their blocks as if this were “the real thing” by putting into action all that they have learned from this training.

Last year’s ShakeOut drill proved to be a positive experience for our blocks as well as a learning curve, and they are looking forward to participating again this year to fine tune some things. One thing they learned for certain was the importance of practicing and being prepared to react calmly and efficiently.

We encourage you to take advantage of this timely opportunity by signing up for the training or if you have already had your MYN block meeting, participating in the practice drill. We have heard over and over that when we do have a big earthquake, our emergency responders will most likely not be available and it is up to us to help each other. Do yourself and your neighbors the biggest favor by calling Neighborhood Watch at (310) 802-5183 to sign up today! 

WELCOME NEW BLOCK CAPTAINS!

Jeff Weigel and his wife Karen, and two children moved to Manhattan Beach in 1998. Karen works part-time for Morley Construction, a company she has been associated with for over 30 years, and is very active in the Redondo Beach Rotary and Beach Cities Health District. Jeff is a consultant in the electronics industry, helping European companies with North American market issues. Jeff and long-time Manhattan Beach resident Harry Johnson share block captain duties in the 1000 block of 9th Street.

A concern over solicitors resulted in two more block captains, Atilio Santamaria and Fran Goore, stepping forward to lead their block. They were approached by solicitors in their neighborhood selling magazines to fulfill quotas in order to supposedly earn a trip to Paris. After some investigation, they learned it was a scam. As a result, the two realized that together they could help each other prevent future scams as well as other possible crimes on their block. With the help of Neighborhood Watch, they organized their block and while in the process they were pleasantly surprised by their neighbors’ interest in the program and the added bonus of getting to know them better. Atilio and Fran reside in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Lynngrove Drive, a “lovely street full of charm” and with the help of their newfound safety net, they hope to keep it that way for years to come!

Christine Dillon, our new block captain in the 1100 block of 5th Street, is a perfect example of if you want something to get done, give it to a busy person. Along with her husband Neil and two children, Christine has lived in Manhattan Beach for nine years and has made the most of those years. She is involved in numerous school and community functions including Parent-Teacher Association, American Martyrs Sunday School, Pennekamp Party/Auction Chair and the Young at Art program. Her passions are her kids and everything they do – dancing, running, scuba and golf just to name a few. She is happy to be on the Neighborhood Watch team and we are delighted to welcome all of our new block captains.

Thank you all for volunteering! 

DON’T BE SCAMMED

Fraud continues to plague our citizens and the relative anonymity of the Internet provides new ways for con artists to renew old scams. Please use the link to view a recent tip posted on the Police Department website regarding Internet fraud.

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

Neighborhood Watch volunteers Yuriko Strong, Paul Curry, and Gordon Cherniak help fingerprint children at the Police Department.	1600 block of Voorhees presented their “Neighbor of the Year” award to Ed Skifstrom for his diligent effort on their Map Your Neighborhood map.
On May 14, 2009 our three fallen police officers who were killed in the line of duty, Martin Ganz, Richard Giles and Charles Grau, were honored at the Police Memorial service.