Message from City Council Uniting Neighbors

Dear Friends of Uniting Neighbors,


This email is being sent to all those who have attended Uniting Neighbors in the past months. I hope this email finds you all well. I want to thank you all for your attendance at Uniting Neighbors and for your efforts to make our city a better place to live (and work for some). Again, we apologize that our guest speaker this month fell through, but appreciate your attendance and the good discussion we had. I know many of you have specific interests in Emergency Preparedness, some in Neighborhood Watch and our hope is that over the coming months we can all help each other have a greater interest in both. The Goal of Uniting Neighbors is to help residents to be prepared for whatever emergency may come upon us.

As you all know, Marty Peterson is working feverishly to ensure each of your local area (church or neighborhood units) preparedness plans correspond with the City plan, to get residents educated about the plan and ensure it is implemented city wide. Please help us in encouraging your neighbors to attend UN meetings, to get involved and be prepared.

We are also trying to help residents get Neighborhood watch groups organized city wide. We have some groups established and functioning, but other areas do not hve any presence. If you are intereted in getting a group set up, we are happy to help, offer ideas, or attend a startup meeting, just let me know.

Please remember that Uniting Neighbors is the 2nd Wednesday every month at City Hall. Kent, Marty and I are working on getting some classes and training set up that will be beneficial and interesting to all. Please plan to join us and please invite your neighbors as well. In March, we are planning to have Officer Everett (our Gang Enforcement Officer) attend to provide training on Gang awareness and a discussion on what is happening in NSL.

Finally, if you are a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, would you please let me know. We are trying to determine who the watch coordinators are.

Thank you and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, ideas or comments on Uniting Neighbors in NSL.

Stewart B. Harman
NSL City Council

NSL Tip Line *NEW!*

A message from NSL city councilman, Stewart Harman:
__________________________________________________


Dear Friends and Neighbors,


I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and wish you all the best in the new year.

As many of you are aware, our city has seen more than its share of burglaries over the past few months. Let me thank all those neighborhood watch groups and our police depart for all they are doing to clean up the problem. For you information, our city has now established a Tip Line for anyone to report suspicious activity and tips on crimes that have occurred. it is (801) 335 –TIPS (8477) or by email at TIPS@nslcity.org.

For those who do not have an active neighborhood watch group in their neighborhood and would like assistance in getting one started, feel free to contact me for more information and/or help in setting it up. The Uniting Neighbors committee will also be hosting a discussion on protecting our homes and neighborhoods from thieves and crime this coming month. Our Police Chief has arranged for a guest speaker to give a firsthand account of what a thief looks for and how to discourage thieves. This will be a great opportunity to build awareness in our city. Please invite your neighbors, watch groups and anyone interested in attending on January 12, 2010 at 7:30 pm at City Hall.

Finally, for those who have not seen it, I have attached hereto a flyer that was recently prepared which contains a number of things you can do to better protect yourselves and your homes. Thank you for helping to make our city a great place to live. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. Thank you and Merry Christmas,

--

Stewart B. Harman
http://www.stewartharman.blogspot.com/
http://www.foxboro-nsl.blogspot.com/


To download the NSL City "BE ALERT!" Flyer click here.

Salt Lake Tribune Article

North Salt Lake gets new gang officer
by Matthew D. LaPlante
Salt Lake Tribune

When Gina Catenzaro moved to North Salt Lake, she thought she was getting away from gang activity that plagued the west Salt Lake City neighborhoods where she once lived.

But during the past few years, Catenzaro and other residents of North Salt Lake's Foxboro neighborhood have noticed an increase in gang graffiti on the white vinyl fences that crisscross the fast-growing development on the city's far west side.

"It's not anything huge and there are no major crimes going on, but I think we all wanted to nip it in the bid before it gets too bad," said Catenzaro, an area coordinator for the Foxboro Neighborhood Watch.

North Salt Lake Police agree that's a good plan -- and a new stimulus grant of $175,750 will help the department support the costs of a full-time designated gang prevention officer.

The federal funding will cover the officer's salary, benefits, vehicle, equipment and training for two years. After that, the city will continue to fund the position, said police spokesman Mitch Gwilliam.

Gwilliam said a big part of the new officer's job will be assisting neighborhood watch groups, like the one in Foxboro.

"This is an enforcement position, but on a progressive level," Gwilliam said. "We want to help educate the public about the problem before it gets any worse than it is."

Gwilliam said the department is by no means overwhelmed with gang-related cases right now. "But we would be foolish to say we don't have a problem at all," he said.

Catenzaro believes the addition of a gang officer could be a deterrent to groups that have been pushed out of Salt Lake County during the past few years of dedicated enforcement there.
"If it scares some people off, then it would be worth it," she said.

{Link to article}

NSL to get stimulus funds to combat gangs

NORTH SALT LAKE — Thanks to a recently awarded Justice Assistance Grant, Davis County's southernmost city will hire a police officer to deal strictly with gang enforcement and education.

The $175,750 grant, one of just a few full grants funded with federal stimulus money, will cover the salary and benefits for the officer for two years, a vehicle and his associated equipment, said North Salt Lake Mayor Shanna Schaefermeyer.

The officer, expected to be hired by early 2010, will work with Davis County's metro gang unit, serve as a resource officer at Foxboro and Orchard elementary schools and will train other officers in gang prevention.

Over the past few years, North Salt Lake police have begun identifying gang-related graffiti, or tagging, associated with eight different gangs, which have apparently begun fleeing Salt Lake County and infiltrating North Salt Lake on the border.

"It's disconcerting," Schaefermeyer said. "We can't let it perpetuate. We can't turn a blind eye to it."

The city's current police force of 16 officers doesn't have the resources or the training to follow up on tagging and do adequate patrols in one of the city's areas of highest growth — the Foxboro neighborhood.

Foxboro neighbors have begun taking steps on their own to form a Neighborhood Watch group and patrol the neighborhood's streets.

"We don't want it to be anything other than a nice, safe neighborhood," Schaefermeyer said.