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CONCERNED CITIZENS’ WATCH
MARCH 2009
WEB SITE: http://mysite.verizon.net/ccwftwayne/
EMAIL: ccwftwayne@verizon.net
GENERAL MEETING -
The next General Meeting will be April 21, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at the Police Department on Creighton
Avenue. We will have the results of the patrol at the Children’s Zoo opening. I know that many CCW members and most
of the city residents are oblivious to the volunteer hours and the crime prevention benefits we provide for the Children’s
Zoo and the city as a whole, but reviewing the patrol results provides some kind of "pat on the back" for our efforts. Don’t
forget the May General Meeting will have our Officer election, Vice-President and Secretary, for a two-year period. If you
would like to run or put someone on the ballot, you should attend this meeting.
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GREAT AMERICAN CLEAN UP - The Great American Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday May 16th.
After the ice storm we had during this winter, there is still much cleaning up to do. I am sure that your neighborhoods have
vacant houses or senior citizens’ houses that need branches picked up. In crime prevention theory, a neglected or deteriorating
property INVITES criminals to actions we try to avoid in our surrounding properties. I don’t have to mention the factor
on burglaries that our economy is causing at the present, but it will cause some morals to be relaxed in some individuals
and the risks of being caught easier to accept by other individuals. Crime Prevention in these times should cause us to be
more informed of recent criminal actions and any steps to be taken to prevent them from happening. Make sue that YOU are AWARE
and ALERT and get your neighbor to be the same. Any communication about crime prevention within your neighborhood will help
to prevent your neighbors from becoming victims. Make your homes safe.
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CHANGING SEASONS -
Springtime brings yard work, landscaping, and outside home improvements and summer provides unscheduled
time for many of the school-aged children. This happens every year at this time of the year, but wouldn’t it be nice
to combine these yearly features so that both would benefit. Summer jobs may be hard to find this year for students with so
much unemployment in the statistics already. An outside, fresh air type job would be ideal for them. They could come to appreciate
the work and effort needed to maintain a residential property and possibly reduce vandalism and the attributes of working
outside. When you are performing spruce up tasks, keep in mind improvements you can make to hinder criminal activity, such
as eliminating hiding places for burglars. It may seem like I talk about criminals all the time, but I am trying to EMPHASIZE
crime prevention. It is so much easier, effort-wise and emotionally, to bypass becoming a victim of a crime than to
solve the problems caused by enduring a crime.
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YEAR OF 2009 PREDICTION -
It is not difficult to predict that this year of 2009 will have increases in SCAMS and IDENTITY
THEFTS crimes fueled by the forces of our economic turmoil. Criminals will probably become more desperate as sources of income
fall off, and citizens will be seeking ways to stretch tight budgets by accepting lower costs on needed maintenance and improvements
to their property. You can almost see how the time is ripe for judgment errors. I hope the citizens will take the extra time
to check the Better Business Bureau’s Website or contact the BBB if that "special" deal falls on their doorstep. You,
as CCW members, should warn neighbors and friends about home improvement scams and any susceptible persons you know about
the "get rich fast" scams that are received by phone or by strangers in a place of business. They almost always ask for you
to "invest" for a share of the pie. They get the investment and the victim gets no pie.
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The CCW newsletter mail distribution has been updated, the first time since 1995. It has been
a huge task, but CCW will benefit.
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