July 1, 2010 in Washington Voices

Simple steps to lower crime rate

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It’s always a good idea to get to know your neighbors, before disaster strikes. Not only does it make it a lot easier to ask to borrow a screwdriver, but neighbors who know each other just a little bit tend to look out for each other and that’s the best crime prevention tactic there is.

“You don’t have to barbecue with them every Thursday night, but share a cell phone number so they can get a hold of you,” said Officer Dan Strassenberg, the neighborhood resource officer for the East Central neighborhood, which includes the South Perry area. “That way it’s easy to reach people if something out of the ordinary happens.”

Neighborhood resource officers respond to tips from neighbors about suspected drug houses, abandoned vehicles and other neighborhood concerns, and they are often the first point of contact if a neighbor is worried about what’s going on next door.

“It’s my impression that South Perry has changed a lot over the past couple of years,” Strassenberg said. “The neighborhood has really improved.” His biggest concern is with Grant Park, where, he said, teens tend to hang out at night – especially now when school is out.

“Parents could really help me out quite a bit with that, by not having their kids out running around unsupervised at night,” Strassenberg said.

Graffiti is always a hot-button issue.

“We get yelled at a lot because we can’t always stop it, but we got to see it to stop it,” Strassenberg said, adding that the only other thing that would work is 24-hour camera surveillance everywhere. “And I don’t think people would like that.”

The best “cure” for graffiti is still to paint it over or clean it up as soon as it appears.

“If you see it and it bothers you, just get at it – no one is going to stop you,” said Strassenberg.

Another big problem is vehicle prowling. That’s a crime of opportunity, Strassenberg said, and he is rather amazed at what people leave in their cars.

“Don’t leave your purse or your laptop on the front seat, not when you are parked, not when you are driving,” he said. “And lock the doors to your car when you park, and when you drive.”

Busy and crowded parking lots are prime prowling areas, he said, because so many people come and go all the time and it’s not always clear which car belongs whom.

“We are all busy, but it would help a lot if people took a minute to think about what they are doing when they leave their car,” Strassenberg said.

When it comes to burglary prevention he said the best thing you can do is leave your outdoor lights on all night.

“It may cost you a bit extra in light bulbs and power, but it’s worth it,” Strassenberg said.

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