Oakley street improvements looking good

This is a down week for Around Oakley so here is a February 2008 column that is still newsy. Driving down any number of streets in Oakley, one might see the little red and black Neighborhood Watch sign on a pole. Ever wonder what that really means? Several years ago my Vintage Park neighborhood went all out and started a Neighborhood Watch program. It sounded good at the time. Neighbors got together and discussed issues of crime in our town. That lasted all of about two, maybe three months.
At the time I think the worst problem was the issue of dogs getting loose and digging up lawns. Nonetheless, as those neighbors stopped meeting and moved away while others moved in, the sign on the pole still stands. The other day I noticed that there were men replacing the sign on the pole after it had slipped down and I wondered what was the use? Does it make any sense to have a sign on the street if no one does anything about it? Do we really pay attention to what goes on in our neighborhood?
I was surprised on Friday morning of last week when three police officers knocked on my door telling me they had received a call that there was a prowler in my backyard. They were told my house was vacant and the caller was concerned. Of course the officers realized quickly that my house wasn’t vacant, but took the time to quickly check out the backyard and then looked around the neighborhood a bit.
After a bit I began to think. The officers said they had been called to my house, but a house at the corner of my block is vacant and the last two numbers of its address are the same as mine. So I went out and told this to the officers and they immediately went to check at that house. The point is that someone did the right thing by calling in, even if the information wasn’t quite correct. If there was a problem at that house, we were all safer because the police had been called out.
The whole incident started me thinking. Maybe we don’t have our Neighborhood Watch program fully in effect in our neighborhood, but at the very least the people in the neighborhood are observant of their neighbors and are trying to help. That is what the Neighborhood Watch program is all about.
According to Clyde Hinkley, Oakley Police Department liaison, the Neighborhood Watch program has grown in Oakley in recent years. There are several neighborhoods that have been participating in the program in one form or another.
The program is sponsored by the National Sheriff’s Association, which includes the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, which has an annex in Oakley. They say that “Neighborhood Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer.” Hinkley says that the city of Oakley also is very supportive of the program.
Hinkley said that the Neighborhood Watch program is all about neighbors getting to know each other and their neighborhood. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or any expense, although some neighborhoods choose to host block parties and other activities to break the ice. The whole point is to just know your surroundings and get to know who your neighbors are. That way if there is, say, a suspicious car in the neighborhood that might be there to cause trouble, the police can be contacted right away.
Some might say that it isn’t necessary to actually official join the Neighborhood Watch program to help your neighbors and that is true, but the program will give you the keys needed to help the police in making sure your neighborhood is safe. For those interested in starting a program in your neighborhood, Hinkley said he is available to help with the details. For more information, he can be reached at 925-625-8855.