Crime in Plain Sight
For a community of its size, Desert Ridge has a relatively low residential crime rate. By adding City of Phoenix off-duty police patrols, Urban Tactical Services patrols, and increased neighborhood block watch participation, we have been able to greatly reduce multiple categories of crime
in Desert Ridge.
And while we do enjoy an overall reduction in crime, burglaries is the one category that we can improve with just a little bit of effort from each of us. Burglaries actually make up the majority of crime in Desert Ridge. According to the Phoenix police department, the majority of reported incidents were preventable simply by someone locking their car doors, or even closing a garage. People leaving valuables in plain sight are the biggest targets.
It’s a surprising fact that Police departments across the country have stated people will often leave “high score” items such as purses, wallets and laptops resting on a console or seat. Former car thieves/burglars have stated that it’s not only purses, wallets and laptops that they look for, but tools, cell phones, and radar detectors are also targets. Even the smallest of things, like visible change in a cup holder or door handle, can make you a target. One former thief stated “When we saw some loose change, we just had to have it. We would smash the window, grab the $0.85 and anything else loose. And now you’ve got a broken window and insurance to deal with, all because someone like me saw some loose change.”
Now that we are into spring, we have a tendency to leave the car windows down as well. Make sure that if you do crack your window that it’s closed enough that someone can’t reach in and unlock the door. Spring is also the time when people are most likely to leave their home windows open. When you leave the house, even if it’s to run a “quick” errand, make sure that you close all of your windows. For those who have screened security doors, make sure that the security door is locked when you have the front door open.
Also, don’t leave bicycles, yard tools and other personal property lying around.
We have fantastic anti-crime programs in Desert Ridge with our off-duty City of Phoenix off-duty police patrols, our Urban Tactical security patrols, Neighborhood Block Watch program and even our Silent Witness matching grant program. But these programs and patrols simply can’t cover everywhere in the community at once. As residents, we need to do our part to reduce crime in our community. It is also important to know and communicate with your neighbors and to keep looking for things that are out of place in your neighborhood. You can help make Desert Ridge a safer and better place to live by starting or participating in a neighborhood block watch program.
If you’re interested in learning how to start a neighborhood block watch program, please contact the Desert Ridge Community Association office
at 480–551–4553.
