The Church Point Neighborhood Watch Program (CPNW) has officially been in existence since 2002. We have come a long way from our early beginnings.
How the CPNW program works:
The block watchers here contact the local police if a crime or suspicious activity occurs. Next, they contact their block captain who contacts the coordinator. The coordinator then contacts all of the block captains who in turn contact their respective block watchers. Your information (name, address, email address and phone number) that is received through Neighborhood Watch is kept confidential. We will never give it out without your permission. Some blocks share information within their respective blocks but for the most part, your neighbor down the street does not have your email address or phone number unless you give it to them or they got it from a directory. We work in coordination with MPO David Nieves and the City of Virginia Beach.
Operation I.D. is an optional part of the program. This is a method of taking an inventory of your personal property and marking items of value to deter theft. If your marked items happen to be stolen and are recovered, it is easier for the police to return the items to you. Those who are in the program can borrow an engraver from the coordinator. A code to engrave will be given to you when you borrow the engraver.
The Neighborhood Watch Program presents a win-win situation for everyone involved. We have seen the benefits of the hard work of our wonderful block captains and block watchers. Crime is down, and residents feel safer in their homes.
Neighborhood Watch tips:
Never let your guard down. Enjoy your home, but when someone comes into the area and you have “that feeling” that something is not right, do something about it. Call the police emergency (911) or the non-emergency phone number (757-385-2703), as it may not be safe for you to confront vandals. If an unknown car is parked in front of your home, note the time and take a picture of the car from the back so that you can get the plate number (this may come in handy later). Use binoculars to get the plate number from the safety of the inside of your house; write down the number along with the date and a description of the car, and put this information in a safe place.
Share information with your block captain, who in turn will share it with your block. Most importantly, introduce yourself to your neighbors if you haven’t already done so. You do not have to be best friends, but you can look out for each other’s property. Church Point will remain a great place to live with your help. Please do not “do nothing” and complain about the way you think things “should be” in the neighborhood.
Join CPNW! It is easy to be a block watcher. If you haven’t already joined, what is stopping you? Do you think it’s hard or will take a lot of your time? I’ll tell you the secret to being a block watcher. All you need to do is: 1. Protect yourself, and then 2. Protect your neighbor. By joining CPNW, you will receive tips on how to protect your family, your home and your neighborhood. For more information, please complete a Registration Form and forward to the coordinator by email. The coordinator and/or a block captain will contact you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Select Group. Be Safe!
HISTORY:
October 2001 – Annual Homeowners Association (HOA) meeting:
The attendees of this meeting heard that minor crimes were being committed in the neighborhood. Other than the annual meeting, CP residents heard information only “through the grapevine”, AND then they hear it several months to a year after the crime occurred because everyone did not know their neighbors. Besides the newsletter, which came out periodically, there was not an established way to disseminate information to everyone that wanted it. La Tanya Cole volunteered to coordinate CPNW at this meeting, and a few other people volunteered to be Block Captains.
January – March 2002 – Planning phase:
Based on the map that The Select Group provided, Church Point has 3 distinct and unique mini-neighborhoods, – The Mews, The Commons and the Quays. Within those areas, “blocks” were created with the average of 10-12 homes. La Tanya worked with Virginia Beach’s Crime Prevention Officer MPO Tony Ortiz (now retired) to establish CPNW.
April – May 2002 – Block Captains were signed up:
A block captain was sought out for each of the created “blocks” – we had 29 blocks needing captains. There were about 4 or 5 people that pre- volunteered as block captains before they knew what they were getting into. La Tanya Cole then added more when she went to her friends that she met through the neighborhood, Garden Club, and CP Ladies “Night Out” Group. The balance of the block captains was retained with a little prodding.
June – August 2002 – Block Watchers were signed up:
Many volunteers and homeowners were still feeling the effects of a door-to door campaign, which had just been completed. Some homeowners wanted to get signs and reduce speeding in the neighborhood down to 25 mph, and they accomplished this but it took them over two years to get the needed signatures and put their plans into action.
The already wearied rookie block captains, (who had just worked on the speed reduction project), were given a list of homes within their blocks, and they were responsible for signing up as many as they could (without a pay bonus!). The coordinator worked on signing up those blocks that did not have block captains and also converting the others in the blocks that had a block captain, but would not commit to CPNW. We had about 340 homes listed and we needed at least 80% participation of all homeowners to establish ourselves and we did it.