The next General Meeting will be October 20, 2009 at 6:30 P.M. at the Police Department on Creighton Avenue. The Halloween Zoo patrol will be running from October 16th through October 31st and we need volunteers to cover this long period. The hours are from 6:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Monday through Friday and 5:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. If you can spare an evening, please call Jerry at 483-6990. If the weather is bad, I will contact you to cancel your patrol.

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CCW MEMBER? –

We have some members that have been with the organization for an extremely l-o-n-g time and have seen and adjusted to many changes in our patrols and operations. The longevity of some members creates differences of opinion on what our rules specify that we should be doing to fight crime. The rules in general terms guide us to patrol our neighborhoods and to extend our services where the police need us most. But which sector is the more important one? If we patrol in the sectors that the police prefer and cause the criminals to turn to the places in our neighborhoods that we have left unprotected, we would not be fulfilling our organizational mission. And if we patrol only in our neighborhoods and leave the rest of the city to fend for themselves, our organization would not have much purpose.

Since this newsletter is being distributed to CCW members and not neighborhood presidents, the following subject needs to be opened up. We have a few members that operate our whole organization for everyone else. They support it financially, support the patrols, and attend meetings. They are the ones that give Concerned Citizens Watch its “purpose”. For some members, I often wonder if they RECOGNIZE any purpose of the CCW. If they are “watching” at all, it appears to be looking out for their own individual possessions. They have attended the training classes and dropped off the face of the earth as far as their supporting Concerned Citizens Watch financially, attending meetings, or participating in any patrols. Now is the time that each CCW member should determine what purpose the CCW organization has in his/her daily life and examine his/her individual commitment to support our organization. Without member support and the unified working together as a group, the Concerned Citizens Watch program will die and the criminals of our city will win the fight. Just watching “your” possessions, including your neighbor’s, is not a strong enough effort to fend off the determined criminals in our city. If you don’t fight the criminals in every aspect of criminal activity, he will eventually get to you sometime. You need to read crime reports, observe suspicious activities, be alert when you enter a susceptible situation, and contact the police with any concerns or helpful information. The group participation of Concerned Citizens Watch members is not a fail-safe method of fighting crime but it is so much stronger than someone working alone. You must be willing to work with others to accomplish this mission and that means supporting the group. That is the purpose of Concerned Citizens Watch.

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CRIME REPORTS DOWN –

The criminal activities listed in Sunday’s Journal-Gazette was down from many of the previous weeks. The weather may have had some influence on the quantity of activity. Cool rainy weather requires more desire on the part of the criminal or extraordinary opportunity presented to the criminal to make the activity seem worthwhile. With the business reports on the economy, the news reports on the unemployed status of many individuals, and the fast approaching holiday season, I feel that the criminal activities, burglary, robbery, and theft from auto crimes will greatly increase toward the end of the year. Put forth some extra effort in your individual crime prevention and remain extra alert to your surroundings when you are shopping or watching the neighborhood traffic as the holiday season progresses.