Staying Safe - Recommendations from Jefferson County Sheriff
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Several mail boxes were broken into in September, 2019 and were reported to the Jefferson County Sheriff. Following is a summary of the sheriff's recommendations and smart phone apps for consideration by Trails residents.
Recommended Safety Websites & Smart Phone Apps
Jefferson County Sheriff Visit to Trails HOA Meeting
Summary of the Sheriff's Recommendations
It was a pleasure speaking with you tonight. This is the information that I wanted to send you.
Please keep in mind that this is in lieu of the Nextdoor.com platform that is the preferred means of communication between law enforcement and the community.
For current suspicious incidents occurring in your neighborhood you can request an extra patrol, click on this link: http://jeffco.us/sheriff/contact/extra-patrol/
Wonderful Tips for Neighborhood Watch Programs …
- Work with the police or sheriff’s office. (I am your contact, as well as any patrol Deputy who you cross paths with!) These agencies are critical to a Watch group’s credibility and are the source of necessary information and training.
- Link up with your victims’ services office to get your members trained in helping victims of crime.
- Hold regular meetings to help residents get to know each other and to decide upon program strategies and activities.
- Consider linking with an existing organization, such as a citizens’ association, community development office, tenants’ association, or housing authority. They may be able to provide an existing infrastructure you can use.
- Canvas door-to-door to recruit members.
- Ask people who seldom leave their homes to be “window watchers,” looking out for children and reporting any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
- Translate crime and drug prevention materials into Spanish or other languages needed by non-English speakers in your community. If necessary, have a translator at meetings.
- Sponsor a crime and drug prevention fair at a church hall, temple, shopping mall, or community center.
- Gather the facts about crime in your neighborhood. Check police reports, (Crimereports.com is a tool that the Sheriff’s Office currently promotes to gather crime information about your neighborhood) conduct victimization surveys, and learn residents’ perceptions about crimes. Often, residents’ opinions are not supported by facts, and accurate information can reduce the fear of crime.
- Physical conditions like abandoned cars or overgrown vacant lots contribute to crime. Sponsor cleanups, encourage residents to beautify the area, and ask them to turn on outdoor lights at night.
- Work with small businesses to repair rundown storefronts, clean up littered streets, and create jobs for young people.
- Start a block parent program to help children cope with emergencies while walking to and from school or playing in the area.
- Emphasize that Watch groups are not vigilantes and should not assume the role of the police. Their duty is to ask neighbors to be alert, observant, and caring—and to report suspicious activity or crimes immediately to the police.
These are great ideas, though not mandatory, to creating a community group that is watchful and vigilante in removing soft targets within its own community.
We are available to come and speak to any HOA or community group, when provided enough advance notice.
Let me know if there is anything else we can do to assist you!
Brad Herman, Jr. | Crime Prevention Deputy
200 Jefferson County Pkwy
Golden, CO 80401-2697
www.jeffco.us/sheriff
303.271.5859 Office
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