Neighbors take charge of crime

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A highly organized community watch group is helping officers reduce crime in an east Charlotte neighborhood, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police supervisor said.

Sgt. Mike Sloop, the response area commander for the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood, called the group a “model” for similar efforts citywide.

Neighbors began more frequent meetings about six months ago, discussing crime prevention tips and security devices ranging from surveillance cameras to stun guns, said organizer Rob Willis.

“I want people to feel like we’re actually doing something,” said Willis.

Volunteers, called “grid captains,” have made door to door visits encouraging families to fingerprint their children and engrave their valuables with a N.C. driver’s license number as suggested by police.

Holly Gryder, a Plaza-Midwood resident who moved to the area earlier this year, said she joined her neighbors after burglars forced their way into her home and stole electronics valued at several thousand dollars.

“We weren’t doing everything that we could have done to make it harder for someone to break in,” Gryder said.

The most recent crime statistics released by CMPD show burglaries were down nearly 13-percent in August compared with the same month a year ago in the Eastway patrol division, which includes Plaza-Midwood.

Police also saw a 53-percent drop in car break-ins in August.

Sloop said the vigilance of neighbors, along with an increased police presence, is helping to reduce crime.

Willis, who became an advocate for community patrols when his lawnmower was stolen ten years ago, said the neighborhood’s experience with property crimes has brought people closer together.

“I think that’s why most people get involved with because if feels like they’re personally being attacked by someone,” he said.