APD officials have spoken at our Mueller Neighborhood Association meetings several times over the past couple of years. They always emphasize calling 911 if you see anything out of the ordinary that you think is suspicious. They have been very good about showing up very quickly or, if the POA patrol is in the area, alerting him so he can be on the spot even faster.
They also emphasize hardening the target: neighborhood watch groups (not just signs, but organized groups of neighbors actually watching each others' homes), keeping valuable stuff out of site and reach, whether in garages (doors always down) on front porches, in parked cars, or inside the home but visible through windows; not opening doors to strangers, and so on.
They do not regard Mueller as a high-crime priority area, based on our history. There's no cause for panic, but crime is always around and vigilance is always necessary. Above, let's help each other by being watchful and calling 911 when we see anything suspicious.
I'd be happy to start looking into the process for an "official" neighborhood watch program. I work in the afternoon/evenings, so it appears, I can't be very active in a lot of the governance of our neighborhood, but still would like to give back.
My good neighbors Laura & Dan McAtee are involved in the COPS program and can be seen walking in the neighborhood with their COPS shirts on. I'm sure they would like to see other Volunteers involved.
APD runs two programs that might be helpful to you:
- Neighborhood Watch
- Citizens On Patrol (COPs)
Info is available from our District Rep, Ofcr Mike Dredek, 974-4498, mike.dredek@ci.austin.tx.us.
Our neighborhood has a built in neighborhood crime watch. It is the active people that live here going about their daily routine. We have quite a few "eyes on the street" between the number of early morning and late afternoon runners, the bootcamp/fitness folks, people walking their dogs, couples walking their kids in strollers, retired folks hanging out laughing at the non-retired folks, people gardening, people enjoying a cup of coffee on their front porch, or better yet- people enjoying a beer on their front porch.
Even if people are not outside, we still have a lot of residents in the neighborhood at all times of the day. We have stay at home moms and dads and people that work from home. This neighborhood has never felt desolate to me.
I'm all for making our neighborhood safer. I just think that the best way to do it is to remain an active community.
I did receive confirmation from Jennifer Harvey last night that there are active patrols. They are rotating the hours and cars since apparently the criminals figured those both out. So, if in the past you recognized the car and patrol officer that may not be the case any more which is probably a good thing.
Quote: I did receive confirmation from Jennifer Harvey last night that there are active patrols. They are rotating the hours and cars since apparently the criminals figured those both out. So, if in the past you recognized the car and patrol officer that may not be the case any more which is probably a good thing.
FYI - these are off duty APD officers employed by the POA. They patrol the commercial area as well as our neighborhood. If you call 911 for any reason they are usually the first to respond due to their proximity. If they are busy the regular APD patrol will respond.
I caught two males in a newer silver Nissan Sentra (with the front bumper missing) scoping out my garage this afternoon (just after4). The passenger was actually hang out at the bed of my truck when I walked out there to close the door. Don't leave your garage door open, even if you are in and out unloading groceries!
