Among approximately 50 attendees at the West Henderson Community Watch meeting held last night at the West End Baptist Church were Council members Bobby Gupton and Lynn Harper, Lt. Irvin Robinson of the Henderson Police Department, Diane Barbario, Chair of the Clean Up Henderson Committee, and Pastor Frank Sossamon, Chair of the Henderson-Vance CrimeStoppers Committee.
After opening business was conducted, Mary Knight, the organization’s leader, expressed a need for more block captains for streets in the West Henderson Community Watch region. She cautioned that those streets without a block captain might not receive services such as notifications in the form of fliers and Community Watch signs to be installed in the near future.
Robinson reported that there was not a “whole lot going on” in West Henderson during the month of January, going on to say that calls have dropped because of Community Watch efforts. He told the audience that in January of 2007 the Henderson Police Department received 2,844 calls for service.
“Community Watch here is working,” Robinson said. He encouraged residents to keep calling, telling them that it gives police the right to check suspicious people.
The police lieutenant said that the police department is starting to put out crime alerts to the community. He cited recent alerts on copper thefts, fraudulent American Express gift cards, and ATM and bank deposit robberies. He advised the concerned citizens not to make deposits by themselves and to check the area to make sure that no one is watching before using an ATM.
Robinson noted that there have been some car break-ins in the area of concern as well as suspicious persons. He informed the audience that the VIPS (Volunteers In Police Service) have been helpful in patrolling and getting information out.
VIPS are volunteers who patrol the city in orange-striped cars outfitted with cell phones to inform police of suspicious persons, activities, or crimes in progress.
Robinson was asked if there are more officers on patrol. He responded that the number remains the same. On any given shift, there are five patrol officers, a sergeant, and a lieutenant. Each patrol officer is assigned a zone.
Another resident commented that he was pleased that walk-through traffic in the neighborhood was down.
Bobby Tippett, a homeowner and landlord in the area since 1982, told Robinson that his rental property has been broken into three times. The last two incidents involved broken windows. He said that the tenants, two Teach for America teachers, chose to move after the third break-in. He stated that that was why he had come to the meeting, and he encouraged others to come and find out what is going on.
Robinson stated that the police department is implementing residential surveys where officers will come to a residence and assess how secure it is. He stated that he did such a survey for Tippett and another for a residence that had been broken into on Graham Avenue.
“Learn your neighbors,” Robinson advised.
The police lieutenant noted that the West Henderson Community Watch, as well as the Pinkson, Flint Hill, and Lehman Street Community Watches are the “biggest working” ones.
Robinson insisted that residents continue to call.
Diane Barbario, Chair of the Clean Up Henderson Committee, noted that large numbers of vacant houses in nearby areas inhibit growth and the safety of the West Henderson neighborhood.
As the regular meeting wound down, Knight discussed having someone come from the Henderson city government to discuss ordinances regarding landlords, renters, and the cleaning up of property and discuss what the city can do. She also asked the audience to consider how to present the group’s needs to the City Council and how to attend its meetings.
Harper then addressed the crowd, reminded them of two publics hearings of February 26: one regarding the Youth Protection Ordinance and the other on curbside garbage collection. She told residents not to hesitate to come to City Council meetings as a group. She also encouraged the assembled citizens to attend a public hearing on the budget scheduled for March 26, informing them that it is the first time a hearing has been held on the budget this early in the budget process. She ended by encouraging the group to attend City Council meetings on a regular basis.
Knight commented that at least one City Council member has been at “almost every meeting” that the West Henderson Community Watch has held. She said the group was “fortunate” and that “they really care”.
Gupton then spoke, stating that it means a lot when you see interested persons, and that it helps when you have input. He said that Representatives Crawford and Wray and Senator Berger had visited Henderson last week, and Representative Butterfield had come that day, and that Gupton and others had been telling them about Henderson’s problems, many of them related to crime.
Gupton told residents that he was working hard on some of these problems.
Pastor Frank Sossamon, Chair of the Henderson-Vance CrimeStoppers Committee, ended the meeting with a presentation on that organization.