By Officer Tim Mitten
Community Action Officer
Black Mountain Precinct
Phoenix Police Department
Well another year has come and gone. 2012 was memorable in many ways, both nationally and locally, some great things and some horrific things. The passage of time comes along so very quickly; it seems just yesterday we were basking in the 115 degree heat of July, ok, maybe not basking but roasting for sure. A new year is upon us, new challenges, new dreams, and new commitments to improve and whether it is to get in shape, quit smoking, be more involved in your community, or whatever other personal and professional goals you have set for yourself, it is important to remember that change can only happen when you decide it will happen.
Your neighborhood and community is an important aspect of your life and your family. You choose a neighborhood based on many things; schools, proximity to work or activities, friends or family, the style of the home, sales price, and also figured somewhere in that equation, safety. The safety of neighborhoods and each and every individual in that community is our responsibility at the Phoenix Police Department. We take great pride in serving and protecting you and working to improve the quality of life in your neighborhood. Recently every City of Phoenix police officer from the Chief on down reaffirmed their oath, to you, our citizens, as a reminder of this commitment to serve.
In building a better community and improving the quality of life, crime prevention plays an important role. I have written many articles on the various aspects of preventing crime, from burglary, auto theft, identity theft, drug prevention and so on, all in an attempt to help each and every one of you protect yourself and your family as much as possible. We as police officers are your partners in this endeavor, and will be there when you call and also when you don’t call, out patrolling the streets of your neighborhood as you sleep, work or enjoy time with your family. We do need your help and your commitment to improve your community because it is a partnership between the police and citizens; we have the same goal and we can achieve it by working together. How can we do that is a question I get often. Many of you have started a Block Watch in your area, which is a very good way to learn and practice good crime prevention at your home and get to know your neighbors. Knowing your neighbors is at the top of the list when I teach Block Watch. I am not asking you to know every detail of your neighbors lives but knowing what I call your “primary” neighbors. These are the ones next to you and the three across the street from you and knowing just the minimum amount of information (at least their names and a good way to communicate with them, either phone numbers or email address) will go a long way in preventing some types of neighborhood crime. Knowing what is suspicious activity for your neighborhood. Knowing your children’s friends and their parents in the neighborhood also helps in building a better community, this was a staple of many neighborhoods in the past and it does exist today, but to a lesser degree. Having community events like street parties is a great way to improve the connectivity of neighborhoods. If you live on streets owned and maintained by the City of Phoenix, you can get permission from the Streets and Transportation Department to close them off for a short time for a neighborhood street party. If they are private streets, get with the HOA or Community Manager and find out what the process is to having a neighborhood street party.
There is a common theme in most crime prevention and that is communication and awareness, communicate with your kids, your neighbors, your kids schools and your police department. If you see something suspicious in your neighborhood, call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 or for crimes in progress, 911. I am contacted numerous times asking if I am aware of something going on in a neighborhood. With a city of 1.6 million and an area of responsibility for me of 85 square miles and 90,000 people, it is sometimes difficult for me to hear of everything going on but I do keep in contact with all of the communities I serve as much as possible so that I may respond with the needed resources to address whatever issue comes up.
I occasionally send out community safety emails if I have important public safety information that you need to be aware of. I don’t report every crime that occurs in an area but if we have suspect or vehicle descriptions, or are noticing a wave of thefts or other criminal activity I will send something out so that you and your neighbors can watch out for your neighborhood and call us. If you would like to get these emails, please email me at the email address below with your community name and email address. I do not share my distribution lists with anybody else, it is strictly for me to communicate crime prevention and public safety awareness information.
Let’s begin this New Year by challenging each other to communicate more effectively with the purpose of improving our community. Let’s try and see how we can learn more about the neighborhoods we live in by watching out for each other and by just looking around when we are out walking or even just driving to and from our homes. I am committed to helping each and every one of the neighborhoods I serve to improve their quality of life so if you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at 602-495-5238 or at tim.mitten@phoenix.gov. Thanks again for being involved in your community and partnering with the Phoenix Police Department to help improve the quality of life and safety of your neighborhood.
