Residents of Mission Beach are working with the Mission Beach Town Council (MBTC) to revive the Neighborhood Watch program in their community. Residents are concerned over the rising crime rates during the last few years and they hope the program will help provide solutions.
After Mission Beach was ranked 104 out of 116 in a recent safety survey of San Diego neighborhoods, residents Bill Bradshaw and Sarah Blaine decided it was time community members cooperated to help lower the crime rate in Mission Beach.
“We intend, in addition to watching more closely, to get the neighbors more in tune with each other, to know each other better. A good share of them are not there for a long time and they don’t feel apart of a neighborhood. We want to change this. We want to involve them,” Bradshaw said.
Blaine said the Mission Beach community accommodates not only long-term residents, but also a number of renters who do not always have the opportunity to get involved with the community. Blaine hopes that the new Neighborhood Watch program will help make all community members be proactive in making Mission Beach a safer place to live.
The program is currently seeking volunteers to act as block captains in their neighborhoods. Each block captain will be assigned a certain section of Mission Beach to represent during meetings and to provide with safety and emergency information. Block Captains will also be in close contact with local police to make reports when necessary.
“I think if we can get some people to step forward as block captains I think we’ll pull a lot of other people in,” said Blaine.
Bradshaw and Blaine hope to build a list of about 50 block captains before the group organizes its first official Neighborhood Watch meeting. They are currently in the process of preparing a packet that will contain important information provided by local police. The information will help block captains provide their neighbors with emergency contacts and procedures for safety.
“At one time [the program] was very successful. It takes leadership to even make this happen. Sarah and Bill have really stepped forward. They have to take roles of leadership, then you need block captains to step forward,” said Nancy Gellar, MBTC president.
Both Collins and Blaine are MBTC area representatives, who are responsible for communicating with people in different Mission Beach locations. Each of the MBTC’s nine area representatives is part of the council’s executive board.
Gellar said the town council is working with Blaine and Bradshaw to help make the Neighborhood Watch program a success.
Bradshaw and Blaine announced the formation of the group and explained its mission at the monthly MBTC meeting on April 12.
The group’s first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 25 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mission Beach Woman’s Club, 840 Santa Clara Place.
To volunteer or for more information, call Bradshaw at (858) 488-9173 or visit the MBTC Web site at www.missionbeachtc.org.