With the number of high-profile crimes, such as the arrest of a suspect known as the PB Peeper, making headlines, the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) invited San Diego Police officers to discuss creating neighborhood watch programs and other crime-prevention strategies at its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library.
Big in the 1980s and 1990s, Neighborhood Watch programs have declined in recent years but are experiencing a renaissance, according to San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Lt. Brian Ahearn.
“They’re taking off like wildfire in La Jolla,” Ahearn said. “Now we’re trying to get them to blossom in PB.”
With violent crime up 12 percent in 2005-06, many residents are looking for new ways to keep themselves and their neighbors safe. That’s where Neighborhood Watch programs comes in.
“You’re our eyes and ears,” said SDPD Northern Division Community Resources Officer Alan Alvarez. “You live in your neighborhood. You know if something is out of place.”
Alvarez said one of the first steps is to get to know your neighbors and exchange contact information.
He also advised using some common-sense strategies to help Pacific Beach residents and visitors reduce their changes of being a victim of crime by avoiding dark and isolated areas, knowing and paying attention to their surroundings, walking with confidence and in groups, and parking in well-lit areas.
It is also a good idea to consider footwear and whether those platform shoes or high-heeled sandals could affect the wearer’s ability to escape an assailant, he said. Taking a taxi or bus, rather than walking through beaches at night, and wearing a high-pitched sounding device can also help residents stay safe, he said.
Other stay-safe strategies residents can include letting someone know where they will be and what time they expect to return, appointing a sober friend to keep an eye on the group, and not leaving with strangers.
Another simple step is to keep doors and windows locked at all times, he said.
“Criminals go through unlocked doors. They’re opportunists,” Alvarez said.
He further recommended that residents get a peephole and not open the door to persons they do not know unless they have asked enough questions to feel comfortable. Deadbolts and high-quality locks can prevent lock-bumping, a technique where the cylinder of a lock is knocked loose.
Alvarez further advised installing a lighting system that detects motion and a home-security system. Keeping shrubs trimmed low enough for police to see in windows and carrying a personal protection alarm can also help residents stay safe, he said.
“I’m not asking you to be paranoid. Be smart,” Alvarez said.
Northern Division’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP) unit can assist by conducting a home security assessment. For an appointment, call (858) 552-1737.
Though property crime was down in 2005-2006, car break-ins remain a big concern in Pacific Beach.
One of the easiest ways to prevent cars from being broken into, Alvarez said, is by removing all valuables such as laptop computers, CDs and even spare change from the car.
“For crooks, it’s like window shopping,” he said.
A steering wheel lock can also be an effective deterrent, Alvarez said, because thieves do not want to take the extra time necessary to break the device. They just want to get in and get away, he said.
Some would-be thieves may find themselves stuck inside the car they’re trying to steal thanks to a new SDPD bait-car program.
The cars are controlled remotely by police, who can shut off the engine and trap the thief inside
Car theft is 100 percent preventable, said Assistant Police Chief Lou Scanlon, but due to short staffing, police need the help of the community.
“You have a duty to help us,” said Capt. Boyd Long.
One way residents can help themselves is by writing down the serial numbers of their electronics and other high-end items. Thieves usually sell stolen property for drug money, he said. Those items can be retrieved from pawn shops ” if they can be identified by a serial number or distinctive engraving.
With ID theft on the rise, residents can protect themselves by shredding all documents with their Social Security number and any other documents containing personal information.
“Don’t be a victim,” Long said. “We don’t want you to be a victim, but if you are, call us.”
“We may not get there right away, but we will get there,” Alvarez said.
Programs like Community Assisted Party Program (CAPP) use phone calls from residents to help identify “chronic party locations,” said volunteer Fred Zuckerman.
If police are summoned to a location on two different occasions in a 30-day period, the property will be “CAPPed.”
A party involving hundreds of people, multiple arrests or violence also results in immediate CAPP status. If police are summoned to a location more than once in the same night, it would also result in an immediate CAPP.
Once a property has been CAPPed, officers notify residents and the property owner. The CAPP belongs to the property, not the individual, Lt. Brian Ahearn said, if the names on the lease change, the new residents must continue to follow the program’s strict rules regarding noise.
“We have way too many party calls. It’s out of control,” Ahearn said.
The CAPP is documented in police computers and a zero tolerance policy for future violations goes into effect, Zuckerman said.
Some attendees questioned why police issue warnings before implementing tougher measures.
“I can get a speeding ticket like that, but if I have a party that interrupts the lives of 50 people, there’s a warning,” said PBTC director Jerry Hall.
Other attendees expressed concern about having to sign a complaint against neighbors, which could lead to possible retaliation.
No signer is required, Long said. “There is confidentiality.”
While residents phoning non-emergencies to police may have to wait as long as 30 minutes, the reports are valuable because police staffing levels are based on the call volume, Long said.
BTC director Rick Oldham questioned whether police would be increasing the number of sobriety checkpoints, saying that only one to two are held per year even though Pacific Beach has one of the highest incidents of DUI in the city.
“We’ll do as much as we can,” Long said. “As we roll into the summer months, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of that.”
In the meantime, the Drug Abatement Response Team (DART) has identified partners in the bar and restaurant community to discuss problems with as well as ways to resolve them without litigation, said Deputy City Attorney Ken So.
The DART program, which was created to close drug houses, also works with the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC), neighborhood compliance departments, the fire marshal, the SDPD and the vice department, So said.
“As problems evolved, we evolved,” he said. “We’re not just drugs anymore.”
To report violations on substandard housing, public nuisances or other compliance issues, call (619) 236-5000.
“It just takes one call,” said Deputy City Attorney Brian Ziegler.
To report a non-emergency, call (619) 531-2000. To reach SDPD’s Northern Division, which serves the beach communities, call (858) 552-1700.
Along with informing members on how to protect themselves from crime,
Discover Pacific Beach president George Ondovchak presented the PBTC with a $4,000 donation. The ninth consecutive donation was in honor of the town council’s work on BeachFest and the holiday parade.