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BY GLEN WERLING
Progressiveness of a community can be measured in a variety of ways, but probably the best measure of a community can be made in the way its citizens care for each other.
That can best be demonstrated in looking out for each other — understanding that we are indeed “our brother’s keeper.”
Ossian broke ground with this measure in Wells County last month when it started forming the first neighborhood watch program.
Organized initially by the Ossian Police Department and carried forward by the citizens of the Rose Ann Heights neighborhood, the purpose of the watch is to assist police in protecting Rose Ann Heights against crime.
Built between the 1950s and the 1990s, Rose Ann Heights contains 192 homes that range from modest 60s style ranch houses and Cape Cods to upscale suburban homes worth a quarter million dollars or more.
But this solidly middle and upper middle class neighborhood also had the unfortunate distinction in 2008 or ranking as the highest in Ossian form property crimes such as vandalism, burglary and theft.
And in 2006, Rose Ann Heights was the location of the first murder in Ossian in more than 50 years.
It was a broken window that got neighbors talking to neighbors and an inquiry to Ossian police officer Stephanie Tucker about the formation of a neighborhood watch program.
Tucker responded by inviting citizens in the neighborhood to a meeting about forming the watch program at the town hall.
She was hoping enough citizens would show interest to fill the chairs that were already set up for the twice a month town council meetings.
What she got was enough interested people to overflow the room. More than 50 people showed up for the meeting.
“I am overwhelmed by this response,” Tucker told members of the audience.
She then launched into the very first step of a successful neighborhood watch program—getting to know the people in the neighborhood. She had all present introduce themselves.
“The purpose of a neighborhood watch program is to reduce crime and the fear of crime, to help ensure a prompt and effective response to crime and liveability problems and to promote positive communication and relationships within the neighborhood,” Tucker told the audience members.
She then added, “I truly believe out of all of our neighborhoods in town, yours would benefit greatly from a neighborhood watch program.”
The program will not be run by the police department, but by the neighbors themselves. Because Rose Ann Heights makes up about a quarter of the entire town of Ossian, the organization will consist of two coordinators and captains for each block.
Coordinators will establish dates, times and locations for neighborhood meetings, decide who will speak at the meetings, and decide what issues need to be addressed at each of the meetings.
“They’ll be the ones who will really run the show for you,” Tucker told the audience.
Block captains will meet with the individual neighbors on their blocks, promote the program and the need for heightened awareness, explain how the program works with the police department and meet with any new neighbors.
Individual neighbors in the community who wish to participate in the program will communicate concerns with their block captains.
Tucker stressed that people need to call the police department if they see something out of the ordinary—something that doesn’t seem quite right.
“Call us. A lot of time we hear people say, ‘I just didn’t want to waste your time, or, ‘Sorry to call you out on this because it’s just so silly.’ Hey, we do not think it’s silly. I would rather respond to a call that turned out to be nothing than to not be called at all and miss the opportunity to stop a crime,” said Tucker.
Police Chief David Rigney recalled recently when a Rose Ann Heights resident contacted the Ossian Police department about the theft of a garden hose reel. The resident waited until two weeks after the theft to report it to police because they thought it was such a simple matter.
That is far removed in time from when the crime occurred makes it awfully difficult to solve it, added Rigney.
Communication is key to a successful neighborhood watch program, added Tucker. Letting your block captain know about your pets, the hours when you work, how old your children are, if you have any health problems, are important. “I can’t tell you how many ambulance runs we go on every year where the only source of information we have about the patient comes from their neighbor,” said Tucker.
The information can be shared with the block captain only, and will not be broadcast throughout the neighborhood, added Tucker.
“Some of this information is good for the police department to have,” added Tucker.
She said she realized that to some of those in attendance, a neighborhood watch program sounds more like a free pass for nosy neighbors and busy bodies.
She pointed out that a “nosy” neighbor happened to see a solicitor enter a residence recently when the neighbor knew that no one was home. She called the police and they found the man hiding inside the residence. Police later discovered the man had stolen numerous items from residences that he had called upon in Bluffton where no one was home.
If it hadn’t have been for that “nosy” neighbor, that solicitor would have burglarized that Ossian home—and likely would have gotten away scot-free—free to burglarize more residents.
Solicitors need to have a permit from the Ossian Police Department, added Rigney.
The fear of being perceived as nosy may have delayed the apprehension of the murderer in 2006, added Rigney.
The night that the murder occurred, several people reportedly saw the man who admitted to the murder walking through the streets Rose Ann Heights carrying a laundry basket of evidence.
“Now I think everyone in this room knows that Ossian doesn’t have a Laundromat. I had several people tell me after the fact that they thought it was unusual, but that they didn’t think it was any of their business,” added Rigney.
Ironically, the department first heard about the incident involving the murder suspect and the laundry basket from someone who did not even live in Ossian, let alone Rose Ann Heights. It came from a kid who was participating with other youth, ironically, in a form of vandalism — putting toilet paper on a residence.
“Don’t be timid about reporting large groups of kids wandering around the neighborhood late at night. Boredom will often lead to destructive behavior,” she said. She added that she understood that kids wander through the neighborhood all the time, but that common sense will dictate what is suspicious behavior. She added that a neighborhood watch program will benefit in defining what is and is not acceptable behavior.
A neighborhood watch program also enables and empowers neighbors to better tackle emergencies, such as a loss of electricity or cleanup after a violent storm, said Tucker. “It lets you know who has a generator and who has a chainsaw,” she added. “A neighborhood watch benefits a neighborhood in so many ways other than crime prevention.”
Visibility is also key to a successful neighborhood watch program, according to Tucker. That includes letting everyone who enters the neighborhood know that all suspicious people and activity are reported to police. Signs posted at the entrances to the neighborhood and window stickers on the houses will often serve as a deterrent, noted Tucker, although she stressed her hopes that Rose Ann Heights neighborhood watch program would go beyond the posting of signs and window stickers.
Visibility also means letting people know that you take crime deterrence seriously in other ways.
“I drove through your neighborhood a couple weeks ago and I decided I would see how many of your houses had any kind of outdoor lighting. I counted 113 with absolutely no exterior lighting. If I was a criminal, guess whose house I’m going to look at a lot closer,” said Tucker.
Rigney understood that some people do not want to leave lights on because of the increased electrical bill. Tucker said the answer to that is lights activated by a motion sensor. “When that light comes on, it gets my attention,” said Tucker.
She added that many Rose Ann Heights residents leave their vehicles parked in their driveways unlocked. Some even leave their keys in their unlocked vehicle. Oftentimes, the garage door opener is out there in plain view.
“If I was a criminal, I wouldn’t need to break in. I would just open the garage door and walk right in,” said Tucker. Other times, she said she’s driven through the neighborhood and seen wide open doors on attached garages in the middle of the night.
Members of the watch program — indeed all neighbors — need to write down when they witness suspicious behavior.
“We’re not trying to make Rose Ann Heights sound like a bad neighborhood, it’s just a popular neighborhood. You are well known and that tends to make you popular for petty crime like vandalism, thefts from vehicles and other crimes often associated with teenagers and young adults,” said Rigney.
“What we want to do is use Rose Ann Heights as a model for other neighborhoods in Ossian,” said Rigney.
“We know there’s sometimes a fine line between being nosy and being genuinely concerned about your neighbor. But a neighborhood watch program will definitely be a benefit to you all,” concluded Tucker.