At the June meeting, we had two agenda items: officer elections and our speaker, Officer Wayne Pate.
The candidates below were elected unanimously for the 2015-2016 term:
President: Jeanette Hix
Vice President – Deed Restrictions- Andy Tallin
Vice President- Nextdoor: Lis Harper
Secretary: Lillian Skogsberg
Treasurer: Robin Greene
Newsletter: Michael Forlenza
After the elections, Officer Wayne Pate spoke with attendees. As an officer for 31 years, he provided tips based on his experience for how residents can help to protect themselves and the community. Reviewing crime statistics for the neighborhood, he noted that major crimes in our area are down, although thefts are up a little, compared with last year’s data. During our discussion, he offered the following tips to help keep our belongings and ourselves safe:
- To prevent packages from being stolen, you could have them delivered to UPS or require a signature for them
- We know cars are broken into in our neighborhood; don’t leave valuables in your car
- Pay attention to your surroundings and don’t allow yourself to be distracted by phones or other things
- If someone rings your doorbell, it’s better to answer and show you are at home
In addition to these safety tips, Officer Pate encouraged all residents to report any happenings that are suspect or a crime has been attempted. For example, even if a car window is broken but nothing is stolen, this should still be reported as it is a crime. The more the police know about any incidents, the more information they have to investigate and prevent or convict acts of crime. Additionally, there are some concerns about two-way stops at intersections where four-way stops seem warranted. If we contact the city they’ll watch to see whether more stop signs should be put in place. We can reach out to 311 and be directed to the proper office.
Finally, Officer Page reiterated that everyone is always welcome to Officer Pate’s meetings. The first Tuesday of the month is the PIP meeting, and the city-wide meeting is every other month. The next meetings are July 7th and July 14th at 1602 State Street. You can park at 1600 Memorial, and the meeting is in the building in front of that. Officer Pate gets restaurants to bring in food and great speakers attend each meeting.