How many times have you driven down your street, saw a neighbor outside, and waved to them? If you’re like me, it’s second nature and happens quite often.
Now, how many times have you been driving through your neighborhood or standing outside your home when a stranger drove past and you waived at them? Even though I consider myself to be a very friendly person, waiving at strangers wasn’t second nature to me, but I’ve trained myself to do it.
A wave and/or head nod can accomplish one or more of three things:
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Reformed criminals, especially thieves, state that the one thing they want to avoid more than anything is detection, they simply don’t want to be seen. By waving at someone, whether they wave back or not, you have acknowledged that you have seen them.
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If something took place just before, or after, you have seen this person (or persons), the fact that you paid attention and looked at them while waving will help you provide a better description to the authorities.
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It can help make your neighborhood, and Desert Ridge as a whole, a friendlier place to live.
I must admit that point number three doesn’t always come into play when I am waving to acknowledge a strange vehicle passing through our neighborhood. More often, my facial expression will indicate that I am actually observing that person with some curiosity, only slightly smiling as I wave. I’m not asking everyone to develop a certain kind of expression while you wave. I simply want you to wave and participate in what I call the “anti-crime wave” campaign.
Along with neighborhood block watches, neighborhood patrols, Phoenix Police off-duty patrols, and private Urban Tactical Security patrols, this campaign is only one facet of a multifaceted approach to deterring crime in Desert Ridge. However, we also need to take some additional personal initiative if we are going to keep a below average crime rate in Desert Ridge.
If you review last year’s Desert Ridge residential crime statistics, you will see that crime was down in six out of eight categories. The two categories in which crimes were up are Theft and Auto Theft. While burglaries were down slightly, to their lowest levels since 2008, theft was at its highest rate since 2011. Many of the thefts were items stolen from cars.
There has been a rash of car break-ins, not only in Desert Ridge, but also in the surrounding areas. According to the Phoenix Police Department, the majority of these incidents are crimes of opportunity, where the victims left their vehicles unlocked, and/or left valuables in plain sight.
I realize that people can forget that they left something in the car, maybe on the passenger side or on the back seat. I also understand that when it’s over 100 degrees outside and you’re going in some place for “just a second” that it’s more comfortable to leave the car running with the AC on. Unfortunately, there are individuals constantly looking for opportunities to relieve you of your belongings. That is why it is so important to remain vigilant and avoid giving criminals those opportunities.
Get in the habit of removing your purse, wallet, phone, laptop, etc. and lock your car every time you get out. If you can’t remove all valuables, at least stash them out of plain sight. Never leave anything valuable in your car overnight.
As residents of this amazing community, we each need to do our part to help prevent criminal activity. As I’ve mentioned a number of times, we have some solid anti-crime programs in Desert Ridge with our off-duty City of Phoenix Police Patrols, our Silent Witness matching grant program, and even our Urban Tactical security patrols. But these programs simply can’t cover everywhere in the community at once. It is 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.
