✉ by Joe Steiner, Chair, Safety & Security Committee
Phone:
Greetings to all as we head into our summer season!
As I write this, I think of the old adage, “Repetition is the mother of learning.” Much of what follows you have heard before but I believe it is worth repeating.
A well-lighted area can discourage unwanted guests. Be sure that your outdoor post lamp is set to turn on at night. That light serves to illuminate your property as well as your neighbor’s.
Interior lights are important as well, especially if you are away from home at night or for an extended period of time. Having some lights on timers that are set up to come on at different times after sunset can give the impression to outsiders that someone is at home.
Inform your neighbors if you plan on being away. Be sure to give them your telephone number(s) so they may contact you if needed. And, have your neighbor pick up newspapers for you. An accumulation of newspapers in your driveway is a sure sign that you are away.
As Sgt. Marcia Durns of the Sheriff’s Department advised us at our most recent neighborhood watch meeting, keep the doors locked that lead into your home’s interior from the garage. According to Sgt. Durns, some folks roam neighborhoods with garage door openers and randomly click their devices. On occasion, they will be able to open someone’s garage door. If someone gains access to your garage and the door to the home is unlocked, then that person would have entry into the home and could use the garage as a staging area from which to pack up their loot.
If you are a walker, bike rider, or just a nosy neighbor, you are invaluable as a source of information for our law enforcement agency. In our case, that agency is the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department encourages us to report suspicious activity by calling 911. Patrol deputies cover areas beyond the borders of our HOA and they look for patterns of criminal activity that occur. So, an occurrence in our HOA could be related to occurrences elsewhere.
Don’t be shy about calling 911! Patrol deputies want to apprehend criminals and your information is important to them. Remember, no one on our HOA board is a certified law enforcement officer. That being the case, DO NOT CALL A BOARD MEMBER FIRST!
We enjoy using our pools, especially during the summer season. Be sure to lock the gate behind you as you enter. At times, non-residents have entered our pool areas by climbing over the walls. If you witness such an event, call 911 immediately. The individual(s) are trespassing on private property when they “informally” visit our facilities.
In a future newsletter item, I will include information gathered by a University of Missouri professor who interviewed convicted burglars about their former “tricks of the trade.” Please let me know of ideas or information that you would like to share re: safety and security.