Crime Watch Essential to Fighting Crime


(posted Jan 25)

It takes community involvement to make a difference in crime reduction. "What have you done for your community lately?" is the message IMPD Major Paul Cieslieski asks to encourage community involvement to reduce crime.

The police can't do it all, explained IMDP Crime Watch Coordinator Donna Forbes. Forbes accompanied Cieslieski and Neighborhood Resource Officer Sgt. Matt Grimes as part of the Weed subcommittee's effort to involve the community by taking the meetings to various locations. The first invitation was to the Colonial Apartments. The Weed Subcommittee came into existence with the Eagledale Lafayette Square Area award of a Department of Justice Weed and Seed Grant to reduce crime.

Cieslieski said he is not knocking the importance that apartments provide but they are easy prey for burglaries because of the close proximity of each unit. A burglar can hit several units within a short period of time. The IMPD Northwest district has 75 apartment complexes to patrol and the start of crime watches can help the police reduce crime.

The Weed subcommittee and IMPD staff listened to the concerns from Colonial Apartment residents. One mother explained her 15-year-old son does not want to leave the apartment because he is afraid of the older kids threatening him. Another lady said she will not let the younger children play in the park because she has seen pills strewn in the play area. She is afraid the little kids will pick up a pill and ingest it.

Forbes said she is committed to bring quality of life back to the area so people will feel safe in their homes and to go the playground. She said she would be back in several weeks to start a crime watch program. Forbes is now in charge of overseeing 79 active crime watch neighborhoods. Her personal goal is to triple the number in the northwest district.

There is often a misnomer that crime watch is a lot work. Forbes said it is nothing more than looking out for your neighbor, like watching his open garage. It is being a concerned noisy neighbor.

She said crime watch groups peak and fall, but she indicated the best way to keep them active is to invite guest speakers from animal control, zoning, board health and crime stoppers. A quick way to deterioration is if it is the same group of people are always meeting. She explained these departments have important information to help maintaining a quality of life.

Officer Grimes attested to the fact if it wasn't for a noisy neighbor the police would not have been able to arrest two men and a juvenile during a burglary of a home.

Grimes said they were fleeing out the front door and ran into a group of five officers who had responded to the call. He encouraged people to call rather than wait because the arrest could have easily been the police just taking a burglary report if the neighbor would not have called.

Cieslieski indicated if that if the 911 call turns out to be nothing the caller will not be chastised. It is better to call than to have regrets later that a call should have been made.

Forbes requested that if anyone is interested in starting a crime watch group to call her at 327-6665.