Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9502280072
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Now there is talk of taking the groups a step further - organizing a countywide association of watch groups that would pass words of warning to neighboring communities and across the county.
For instance, construction thefts have been a problem in the county for the last several years. What one block captain sees in her neighborhood - say, a truck that repeatedly returns to the area late at night - could be helpful to the Sheriff's Office, particularly if another block captain has spotted the same vehicle cruising his roads.
The county's Neighborhood Watch program has increased 12-fold since the mid-1980s.
John Yon, the Sheriff's Office crime prevention deputy, broached the idea of a countywide organization last week "to do a better job of getting information out to each other and [make] me do a better job of answering your questions."
About a dozen watch leaders attended a meeting at the Radford Auto Auction last Thursday to hash out the possibilities
Bill Zuti of the Country Meadow Estates Neighborhood Watch group uses a word processor to type up notices for his group.
"Literally within an hour, I can have everybody in our neighborhood notified," Zuti said.
If each watch commander joins the organization and calls Yon with crime tips, he can use a similar set-up and send out postcards to all groups to warn of crime rings or other problems.
Such details would help deputies see trends and deal with them while the crime rings are still formative, Yon said.
Zuti and other watch commanders found Yon's suggestion of a countywide organization a good one, but wanted time to take the idea back to block captains for their comments.
The group plans to meet to discuss the organization again March 25, at 3 p.m. in the New River Valley Mall's community room.
Neighborhood Watch groups aren't just about reporting suspicious cars and snooping strangers.
Glenn Garrett, Montgomery County's environmental enforcement officer, has used tips from watch members to clean up illegal trash dumps and auto graveyards.
He told those gathered at last Thursday's meeting that about 150 illegal dump sites throughout the county have been shut down and cleaned up in the last three years.
"A lot of these ... have existed for years and we're just now getting around to enforcing them, Garrett said.
When Garrett is tipped to an illegal dump - or finds one while patrolling - the property owner is given 60 days to clean it up. If that's not done, warrants are obtained and the person is taken to court.
"We're getting a lot of cooperation with the court," Garrett said.
Recently, two people who failed to respond to the warning were fined $2,500.
Anyone with complaints about illegal dumping may notify Garrett by calling the Sheriff's Office at 382-2951.
Kathy Loan covers police and courts for the New River Valley bureau of the Roanoke Times & World-News.
by CNB