Wetherbyrne Woods has a Neighborhood Watch Program for the benefit of all residents. If we all work together in a spirit of cooperation, we can keep crime and vandalism out of our neighborhood.
The primary objectives of the Neighborhood Watch Groups are to :
Maintain a cooperative system of surveillance over one another’s property.
Report suspicious activity, persons or crimes in progress to the police—accurately and immediately.
Mutually assist and encourage the accomplishment of home security inspections, target hardening and property marking activities by all neighborhood residents.
Maintain a continuing system for the dissemination of educational materials relative to self-protection and criminal awareness and adjust program emphasis in accordance with the most current information.
Assist the victims of crime and assist their re-adjustment to normalcy.
Encourage citizens to come forward as witnesses.
Help elderly or debilitated citizens and children to protect themselves against criminal victimization, and advocate for additional projects to protect these special groups or persons whenever necessary.
The Watch program was formed to improve our security against crime. This is accomplished by developing a network of information about our neighbors, by being observant, and by communicating with our neighbors and the authorities when we observe unusual activity. Here is a summary of information given to us by the Cobb County Police Department:
Keep doors and windows locked. 60% of Cobb County burglaries occur through unlocked doors and windows!! Use deadbolts on outside doors and “charley bars” on sliding glass door slides.
Place valuables out of sight, in children’s bedrooms, away from master bedrooms and dining rooms, and in low areas which cannot be observed from windows. The average burglar takes only a few minutes and makes a sweep of the obvious places, looking for guns, silver, jewelry, money, etc.
Record serial numbers, and mark valuables with indelible identifying marks.
Watch over homes in your cluster for unfamiliar cars, trucks or activity. Everyone in your Neighborhood Watch Cluster is to be supplied with information about vehicles belonging to families in your cluster. Be a nosey neighbor, you may prevent a burglary!!
If you observe unusual activity at another home, call that person. If there is no one home, call the Cluster Captain, or call the police, if you observe or suspect a crime in progress. BE OBSERVANT so you can describe vehicles and people.
Any known crime in the neighborhood should be communicated to the President of the Home Owners Association and to all surrounding neighbors. Everyone needs to be on alert.
Be on the lookout for solicitors who do not wear name and company identification cards. Cobb County requires a county business license, and we should report any solicitors who are not licensed. This excludes charitable organizations, which are exempt.
Remember these tips when you’re away from home: A. Have a neighbor pick up newspapers and mail. B. Do not leave clues while you are away. C. Place a light toward the center of the house on a timer to turn on for a few hours at dark. D. Do not leave curtains closed during the day. E. Place the TV or radio on a timer to play periodically. F. Tell neighbors you will be gone, how long, and how to reach you. G. Turn the volume down on the telephone ring. Check locks on doors and windows.
Use reflective numbering on the mailbox for your address, to speed the response of police or ambulance trying to find your home.
Do not leave names, addresses and phone numbers of neighbors in a convenient place for a burglar to take.
Remember: Most home burglaries occur Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00am and 2:30pm by opportunists under the age of 25.
As you drive to and from you home, BE AWARE of the normal vehicles and activities in your neighbor’s yard. Many burglaries in Cobb County were prevented because people took the time to LOOK and CALL someone.
If an unusual vehicle is driving in your end of the subdivision, call your Cluster Captain or another neighbor who lives in the area to ask if the vehicle has come their way. Information can be passed quickly by alerting different areas.
When newcomers come into the area, information from the Cluster Captain will be provided to everyone in the Cluster in which the family has moved.
If you change vehicles, please inform the Cluster Captain.
Please help the Cluster Captain inform people who were away when information was circulated by phone.