Biscayne Park CrimeWatch has been in existence for over 30 years. It was started by Ethel Hall, until it eventually went defunct. About 8 years ago, Steve Bernard made a move to revive CCW, and he convinced Joe Chao to be the Chair. Joe remained Chair for a couple of years or so, and the Chair is now Chuck Ross. The "Chair," in the case of Citizens' CrimeWatch (CCW), is the coordinator and the person who provides liaison to the police, and outreach to Village residents.
CCW is structured and intended as follows. All law enforcement activity is handled strictly by the police. Unlike Sanford, Florida, we do not have cowboys, and no one wants cowboys. CCW has two functions. One is to provide information to residents, regarding crime activity in the Village, and the other is to encourage residents to be vigilant regarding crime, and to report it. Obviously, all Village residents are affected if there is crime in the Village, and all benefit from interception or prevention of crime. Village residents are "members" of CCW, because they request to be. What this entails is contacting the Chairperson (biscaynepark_crimewatch@yahoo.com), and asking to be put on the list. All you have to provide is the e-mail address where you want to be contacted, and maybe a phone number, though this has given way to e-mail.
If Village residents observe anything that looks out of the ordinary, or which is probably or definitely crime-related, their task is to call the police. Residents should make careful note, write down descriptions, license tag numbers, or any other identifying information, and report them. The number for emergencies is 911. The non-emergency number is 305-4-POLICE (305-476-5423). The police will handle these calls as they always do. If there is any notable consequence, the Chief will tell Chuck Ross, and Chuck will send out notices to CCW "members." Nobody wants you to approach a suspicious person, and nobody wants you to intervene. So please don't. Just make the call.
The "owner" of CrimeWatch is the police. The CEO/COO is the Chairperson, now Chuck. Chuck meets with the Police Chief at least once a week, to review crime events, trends, interventions, and any other related topics.
At present, there are about 450 "members" of Biscayne Park CCW. Chuck would like it, and the police would like it, if every resident of the Village was a member. There is no cost and no obligation to being a CCW member. It merely shows community support and allows "members" to be kept up to date with Village crime-related events.
CCW is effective. Crime events have been prevented, interrupted, or solved because of the activity of interested and involved BP residents. Both Chuck, and Joe Chao before him, have won awards for the strength, organization, and effectiveness of BP CCW.
Contact Chuck. Get on the list. Get on a winning team. Be a winner yourself.
Congratulations on being in the enviable position of successfully providing a critical service to the Village residents. Vision, shared leadership, and excellent communication appear to be the integral elements of this award winning program.
ReplyDeleteLet this be a model to emulate for current community leaders. By embracing the notion of shared community leadership and excellent communication, those with vision and new ideas can provide exciting direction. The rich, diverse talent and dedication to the Village of Biscayne Park residents can and should not be ignored. By looking at the success of CCW, it is clear that many residents are more than capable of developing and carrying out programs and projects which enhance the desirability of the community in which you live.
Mimi D'Angelo
Wellesley, MA