[BWNA] Crime Prevention in BWNA -- "Community Policing"relationships

Tue Jan 16 17:57:31 PST 2007

Hi, Although  I understand Albert wanting to focus on the positive,
neighbors do always have questions for the officers and I think folks like
to know they are around (which they get that feeling when the officers
attend the meetings).  It usually only take a few minutes.  I don't think
that alot of time needs to be spent on the meth house - however, it is the
2nd meth house within a few block radius in the past  approx. 5 years.  It
is good to know what to watch out for.  Heidi
  -----Original Message-----
  From: bwna-bounces at bwna.org [mailto:bwna-bounces at bwna.org]On Behalf Of
WEMarkwart at aol.com
  Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:33 PM
  To: bwna at bwna.org
  Cc: vicepresident at bwna.org
  Subject: [BWNA] Crime Prevention in BWNA -- "Community
Policing"relationships

  Albert and others,

  As Crime Prevention representive on the board of Beaumont Wilshire
Neighborhood Association (BWNA),  I would like to encourage open and helpful
relationships with Portland Police Bureau Officers and also with CNN Crime
Prevention staff as we strive to keep BWNA a low-crime area.

  Crime prevention is important!  Over time, BWNA has had an excellent
relationship with PPB officers, and we should look forward to such in the
future.  Working together, police officers and neighborhood residents can
make a difference!

  This is a response to a number of phone calls and  emails (including
several below):

  1. BWNA invites Police Officers to participate at each BWNA general
meeting (as officer's schedule permits), and more often as needed.

  2. We keep a list of people in the BWNA area who have expressed interest
in notification as BWNA related crime prevention news becomes available.  To
receive this information, call me or send email to me.

  3. If you are interested in forming a Block Watch, or wish additional
information from CNN Crime Preventtion staff, you can follow the link to the
CNN Crime Prevention specialist found on our neighborhood website bwna.org.

  4. If you would like to talk more about crime prevention in BWNA, don't
hesitate to contact me!

  Bill Markwart
  BWNA Vice President
  BWNA Crime Prevention
  vicepresident at bwna.org
  503-282-4610

____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________
  Subj: Re: [BWNA-Board] Re: [BWNA] Drug Bust - 35th place & Bryce
  Date: 1/16/07 4:32:44 PM Pacific Standard Time
  From:    rogsooz4042 at comcast.net (Roger & Susan Price)
  To:    bwna-board at bwna.org (Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Assoc. Board)

  Albert,
  We have had an officer at many of our meetings to give a report. I have
found them interesting and informative and they heighten my awareness of the
neighborhood. Having previously been involved in a meth house bust, I can
say that it takes a lot of time on the part of the neighbors to make it
happen. Support from the neighborhood association would have been welcome in
our situation. Working on projects like this certainly do go a long way
toward community building. People do come together when there is a problem.
I do not understand your reluctance to deal with this issue, Albert, since
it certainly does build community.
  Roger

  on 1/16/07 3:27 PM, jim karlock at jkarlock at ipns.com wrote:

    A crime report, by local police, is a standard feature of every
neighborhood meeting in every neighborhood, that I recall being at. OF
course sometimes the local cop can't make it, but it was still a feature of
the meeting.

    Thanks

    JK

  Subj: [BWNA-Board] Re: [BWNA] Drug Bust - 35th place & Bryce
  Date: 1/16/07 3:14:02 PM Pacific Standard Time
  From:    dlisk at myuw.net (Dennis Lisk)
  To:    albertkaufman at gmail.com
  CC:    jdlisk at comcast.net, bwna-board at bwna.org

  Albert -- Jenny forwarded me your message regarding your wish to not have
a police officer present at the next BWNA general meeting to discuss the
recent drug bust in our neighborhood.  I am dismayed and disappointed in
your decision and would hope that you reconsider.  Jenny and I really think
this is a serious matter and I'm sure that our other neighbors who live
along Bryce Street and the surrounding couple of blocks would agree.

  I wanted to tell you about something that happened about a week prior to
the drug bust.  A couple of days after Christmas we were in our basement
family room watching t.v. and at about 10:45pm our doorbell rang.  We were
immediately concerned given the hour.  I ran upstairs and first looked
outside the back window of our kitchen as we have a doorbell there.  To our
shock there were two strange-looking guys waiting outside the door who we
had never seen before.  Both of these guys looked like they could be
transients and definitely looked like they were up to no good.  I yelled at
them through the window what they wanted and one of them replied but I
couldn't hear what he said as our dog was barking her head off at them.
Anyway, after I yelled at them a couple of times to go away, they finally
turned and left, but they were reluctant to go at first.  We ran over to the
front windows in our dining room to see where they might go and, as if what
just happened wasn't weird enough, the two guys got into a car they had
parked in front of our house.  We noticed they also had a dog in the car.
They drove away slowly headed east on Bryce toward what turned out to be the
house that was busted for selling meth.

  I think the only logical explanation for what these two low-lifes were
doing ringing our back door bell late at night was that they mistakenly
thought our house was the meth house.  As you can imagine, Jenny and I were
very alarmed about what had happened.  Like many other families along Bryce
Street and the surrounding blocks, we have a young child.  Bryce is also
used as a walking route for neighborhood kids who attend Beaumont Middle
School.  As you may know, many people who are addicted to meth are very
dangerous -- not only to themselves but to others.  Having what the police
bureau described as a major meth dealing operation so nearby in an area with
so many children is simply unacceptable.  The people who were arrested for
dealing drugs own the home that was busted.  They are out of jail and back
living in the home.  I can't believe that they would be so stupid as to
resume their criminal activities, but I'm sure that neighbors are concerned
about what may happen in the future with these people.

  I agree with you that our neighborhood is generally safe, but as a
neighborhood, we also need to send a message that this type of criminal
activity will not be tolerated.  Having a police officer attend the February
meeting to provide more information about what was going on and update the
neighborhood on how this matter will proceed through the criminal justice
system would be of great relief and real interest to many people in our part
of Beaumont-Wilshire.  The BWNA needs to show that it can respond to these
types of situations promptly -- waiting until the April meeting will dilute
crucial momentum.

  As board members of the neighborhood association we need to provide
leadership not only on those matters that we as individuals feel are
important, but also on bread and butter issues of concern that arise within
the neighborhood.  If we don't, then we risk becoming totally irrelevant as
an organization.

  I ask you again to please reconsider your decision.  Jenny and I will
continue to try to have a police officer familiar with the case attend the
meeting, as well as to spread the word in our part of the neighborhood that
the matter will be discussed at the February general meeting.

  Thanks,
  Dennis

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Albert Kaufman
  To: *Beaumont Wilshire Newsletter Newsletter ; Dennis Lisk
  Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 8:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [BWNA] Drug Bust - 35th place & Bryce

  Hi Helen and Jenny,

  My sense is that this is such a low crime neighborhood that I'd prefer
  not to have officers at every meeting.  I realize that this was a
  terrible situation, but I'd rather focus on community building and the
  projects that we're working on rather than re-hashing the bust of a meth
  house.  We have such low attendance, that I'd prefer to use the time and
  energy we do have to try to build community.  That's my take.  Jenny, if
  you'd like to try to organize something for April, let me know.  I'm not
  going to put time into it.  The time I do have available will be used for
  community building unless this becomes some kind of trend which I do not
  see happening.

  Albert

  ======================================================================

____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________

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