Neighborhood watch unites community, police officers

Jack Baker, a resident of Bloomington's McDoel Gardens neighborhood since 1977, has heard of several break-ins in his area in the past year. He joined more than 50 other Bloomington residents at the Neighborhood Watch Program meeting Thursday night to discuss residents' top crime concerns and methods for improving the safety of Bloomington.\n"Whatever happens, you need to tell everybody," Baker said. "People who commit crimes don't hang in one place. They like to take a walk."\nBloomington Police Department Sgt. Scott Oldham echoed Baker's proposal that the community use communication as its main defense against crime. \nAnyone who reports a crime that leads to prosecution is named in public records. This leads to citizens' fear of being attacked, Oldham said. The Neighborhood Watch Program allows members of a group to report suspicious behavior anonymously, so that instead of one individual documented in the records, a neighborhood association is named. \nOldham discussed the program, which was created five years ago and allows each neighborhood in Bloomington to establish a designated neighborhood liaison to report to the police department specific concerns. Each neighborhood tells BPD its priorities and goals.\nThe neighborhood does not necessarily have to have a formal neighborhood association to communicate with the police department. Any group of concerned individuals with an assigned police department liaison can be included in the program.\n"You can ask the police to watch your house when you leave," Baker said. "Many people don't realize this."\nThe number of calls BPD receives each year has increased by 3,000 since 2003. In 2005, BPD received 50,556 phone calls. \nFor Richard Carr, a resident of the Southampton neighborhood, robbery should be residents' biggest concern. He said he knows of three recent robberies in his neighborhood. Carr said it is "very disturbing" to see as a homeowner. \nOldham compiled a list of the attendees' most worrisome crime issues, but burglary wasn't the first concern. Instead, traffic and noise disturbances were at the top of the list. \nMost residents who were at the meeting voiced concern about the number of noise violations, which has dropped in the past two years. In 2005 BPD answered 2,590 calls related to noise, compared to 2,775 in 2004.\n"We're very proud of these numbers," Oldham said. "Repeat offenders don't repeat as much."\n Landlords who attended the meeting expressed concern about keeping their student tenants from violating the city's noise ordinance. One proposed a fine imposed by landlords in addition to the BPD's fine. \nCommunity members concerned about issues were reassured that BPD's efforts to reduce crime are working, but Oldham also emphasized that fighting crime involves Bloomington residents and the police department.