Neighborhood Watch Window Decals

I have quite a few Neighborhood Watch decals to place in your window, where it can be seen from the outside. If you are interested, please let me know & I can drop it off to you!

** Also, we are still collecting donations for our Neighborhood Watch signs...let me know if you are interested in donating! :) Thank you!

Crime Statistics

These are the crime statistics for our neighborhood. This information is open to the public. It is important for the Neighborhood Watchto be effective, to have this information, but it is also important for all of us to know what is happening in our neighborhood. If you have any questions regarding these crime stats, you can call C.O.P. Officer Buchanan at 955-4112 or you can email me.

Speeding Statistics

Please, click to enlarge & see this information!

While I was trying to get signatures for my stop sign petition, I had several conversations with people about the speed on High Bluff Drive. Most everyone is seriously concerned with how fast cars drive at all hours of the day. Most people are afraid to allow their children to play in the front yard for this very reason. I know, as parents, we try to do all that we can to teach our children to not run into the street...but it could happen. However, those of us who drive, need to do so in a responsible manner. I was given a flier on Speed Statistics from my friend, Sgt. Merritt. (He used to be a C.O.P. Officer & he worked with me several times on this issue.) When I first saw the statistics, it made me sick to my stomach. A child can be seriously injured or killed by someone simply driving 5 mph over the speed limit.

Last summer, Sgt. Merritt sat on Mt. Adams drive in an unmarked car in the early afternoon to monitor & record speed on High Bluff Drive, it wasn't even at it's heaviest time of traffic. He reminded me of the situation, he said:

"If you recall, when I sat there I clocked every vehicle driving both north and south on High Bluff. If they were traveling over 20 mph, I recorded the speed. I then went and averaged the speeds and came up with something in the area of 33 mph. That may not seem like such a high number, but in order to get it, there had to be some people traveling over 40 mph."

According to the statistics flier, if someone was traveling at 40 mph & a child ran out in the street 60 feet in front of the driver, the car would strike the child at a speed of 35 mph. That's a horrible scenario....

I'd like to pose a few questions to you that usually people don't think about that can attribute to such an accident. Are you talking on a cell phone while driving? Are you distracted with your children that you aren't really paying attention to your driving or speed? Are you in such a hurry that you think 5 mph over the speed limit won't really hurt? If you answered yes to any of these, I just ask you to please think about "what might happen".

I also liked what Sgt. Merritt said about the Speed Statistics, he said:

"A lot of people disbelieve the data at first. It's really quite alarming. However, physics don't lie. People may say that it's not everyone and it's only the occasional car doing it. This may be true, but accidents are caused by that "occasional car" every day. It doesn't take much for some unsuspecting child to run into the street after their ball and they end up either dead or seriously injured. "

I'd like to end this post with a plea...Please, slow down. Please, pay attention to your speed. Please, keep your eyes out for that unsuspecting child that is running after a ball & runs into the street. Please, do all that you can to make sure you are not driving above 25 mph in a residential neighborhood.

I'd like to hear your opinions or comments on this subject.

Thank You...

I just wanted to take a moment to Thank all of the residents who have signed my petition for the stop sign request. The intersection that I am targeting is High Bluff Drive & Mount Adams, for a 3-way stop. That intersection is right in that curve...there are so many "almost accidents" there on a daily basis. I have gathered about 47 names & am hoping to have an even 60 names. I know many of you have mentioned that you are just as concerned...I hope that this will help all of us feel a little better by doing something!

Vision West 2030

I have some information about some public meetings... The flier I got invites West Valley City residents to attend a Visioning Meeting to discuss Land Uses in the Opportunity Corridors. The opportunity corridors are some of the areas most likely to experience significant changes in the next 25 years. Opportunity Corridors include 3300/3500 South, Redwood Rd, 5600 West, and the areas surrounding the proposed light rail stations and Mountain View Corridor interchanges. Questions they will be asking: How should these areas look? What land uses are appropriate? Help is needed to shape the future in West Valley City. The meetings are as follows:

3300/3500 South
October 6, 2007
8:00 am to 10:00 am
Utah Cultural Celebration Center

5600 W./ Mountain View Corridor
October 20, 2007
8:00 am to 10:00 am
West Valley Family Fitness Center

WVC Light Rail Corridor
November 10, 2007
8:00 am - 10:00 am
Utah Cultural Celebration Center

Redwood Road
November 17, 2007
8:00 am to 10:00 am
The E Center

Crime In Our Neighborhood

I wanted to let you know some things that have happened in our neighborhood... On July 17th, an article, by Russ Rizzo, ran in the Salt Lake Tribune, it is as follows:

Attempted Rape Suspect is Sought

South Salt Lake police are looking for a man who grabbed a 15-year-old girl off the street, drove her to West Valley City and tried to rape her. The man grabbed at the woman and tore clothing, but she managed to escape him and run to safety, Capt. Tracy Tingey said.

The girl was walking on 400 East near 2600 South on her way to the library at the Columbus Center less than a block away about 11:30 a.m. Friday when a man pulled up behind her a and dragged her into his car.

The man sped off holding the girl by the throat, causing her to lose consciousness for a short time, Tingey said. He parked in a vacant lot near 6340 W. High Bluff Dr. (6200 South) in West Valley City, Tingey said.

During the assault, the man demanded the girl remove her clothes and grabbed at her, tearing clothing, Tingey said. The girl hit the man in the right eye and ran from the car, police said. She ran through a neighborhood to a video store nearly nine blocks away, where she called police, Tingey said.

The attacker was described as 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet tall, clean-shaven and wearing a black shirt and jeans, police said. He had a black tattoo on his left forearm in the shape of a lizard, police said. The attacker was driving an older model red or maroon sedan with right-front damage, police said. The car's front-right headlight was cracked, and the back windows had dark tint, police said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 840-4000.

This bothered me on several levels. Mostly it broke my heart, it's such a horrible act of violence. And not only does it bother me that this happened in our neighborhood, but in broad daylight!! I know, the only way we can be succesful in our efforts of a neighborhood watch is by keeping our eyes & ears open...being aware of suspicious activity. I know that we can't deter all crime, but we can sure try, but we have to work together, "to look out for each other"!

Also, there have been some cars & homes broken into & some theft by the new construction that have been brought to my attention. Please, please PLEASE, report these crimes to our police department (840-4000). It is so important to do this, for our statistics in our neighborhood to be accurate & to help deter such crime. Also, if there is a person who is caught, but has done several break-ins...the police wouldn't know unless, we as the residents, call & report such activity! So...let's work together & report ALL suspicious activity & crimes!

*** I have heard from our C.O.P. Officer J. Buchanan. He said that South Salt Lake Police is handling the case & if you have any information, the case # is 07G005367 & you can reach them at 840-4000 (fyi, they use the same phone #).

Neighborhood Watch Signs

I just wanted to remind you all that we are still collecting donations for our Neighborhood Watch signs. We are asking for at least $1 per resident (more if you would like!). We need to fund our own signs...& we'd really like to get them soon. Residents are the "eyes & ears" for law enforcement & signs show criminals that "we are looking out for each other"! If you would like to donate, please email me summitneighborhoodwatch@yahoo.com & I'd be happy to come pick it up...as of today we are at $33...enough for 1 sign! Our goal is to have at least 4 in the beginning & add more as we go!

Ride-Along

After the accident, the man ran into the road, right into traffic.

The guys car just bumped the pole, no real bad damage.

#3 Car


#2 Car

#1 Car...Yikes!
This is what can happen if you aren't paying attention.
At least they know the airbags work!

Last night I had the privilege of going on a “ride along” with the West Valley Police. I went with Sgt. Merritt, because I knew him from working with him when he was in the COP (community oriented policing) department. I have always been impressed with him. He’s one of those people who, literally, is the definition of integrity. I felt comfortable with him & I asked a million questions, oh man…if there was a question, I asked it! Poor guy, I had him talking his entire shift! I was able to be his “shadow” from 5:30pm –2:00am. I got to tour the buildings, the evidence room & different areas that I probably wouldn’t have been able to see if I wasn’t on a ride-along. I learned so many things!

I wanted to see the fun, exciting part, we did get to run “code”, you know, lights, sirens & going really fast…it was great! But I also wanted to understand the side of the police officer. Here in our neighborhood, I often hear the complaint of how long it takes for police response time. I admit, I myself have been annoyed & complained. But being in some of the meetings with the city I’ve been in, I wanted to understand why things are they way they are… Well, this I can say for sure, I won’t be complaining anymore. Holy Cow, I have a whole new perspective. You know the old saying, “there is two sides to every story”…I would like to share what I learned.

Their shifts are totally unpredictable; everything depends on the type of calls that they get. It could be pretty quiet, or slammed with a ton of calls. Some of the calls that we went to were: 3-car accident, traffic stops (Why on earth do people drive with suspended or revoked licenses, no insurance, no registration?), a medical caused accident where a taser was involved, two suicide complaints (alcohol & guns don’t mix well), more traffic stops providing back-up. I was again impressed, Sgt. Merritt has compassion with people & I think that is sometimes a rare quality to find in a police officer. (Or we're just too angry when we get pulled over by a cop to see it! :) wink, wink!) We also did some patrolling in some neighborhoods…some being pretty rough & one was a new construction, with a lot of theft. While we were in the new construction neighborhood, we were driving with all of the lights off & then heard shots fired & before I could even compute it in my head, Sgt. Merritt had all the lights back on & was driving really fast trying to locate where it came from, but without seeing any cars around, it was hard to find. But then there was a call about some road rage & then we rushed to that…. There was a lot of driving, a lot of observance of how people react when there is a police car nearby, a lot of people do stupid things right in front of the police…that makes me laugh!

Anyway, I was in awe how the officers have to watch the calls on their computers, listen to the radio, talk on the cell phone, drive and keep their eyes out for things happening around them. Talk about multi-tasking…very impressive. I had the opportunity to go to the dispatch center as well, my goodness, it was really very overwhelming to see what goes on “behind the scenes” so to speak. I learned that there are plenty of calls that you start going to…but then turn around because a new priority arises. The whole priority of calls was interesting to me. There has to be order, right? But when you have something happen to you, you think it’s the most important thing & needs to be addressed right now! But, when you look at the whole picture, that’s not how it works. Again & again I saw this last night. This is what made me realize that no matter where you live, there will be delays…because the officers have to be looking at the whole picture. For example, your car may have been broken into & you want the police to come right now, but there may be an urgent matter somewhere else that requires several officers.

In talking with Sgt. Merritt, I also learned that it’s important to make sure that we call the police when a crime has been committed. There needs to be documentation. Sometimes the calls don’t warrant 911, but we can call 840-4000 to report a crime. This helps the city know if there is a pattern…it is really important for the police to be notified. It is also helpful for the neighborhood watch to be effective. We have to work with our police department in order to combat & deter crime in our neighborhood. If you see something suspicious, call!

Before I went on the ride-along I had to sign paperwork that released the city of liability if something were to happen…to me. I read the paperwork & thought to myself, I know they are covering themselves of all the legalities. But, a police officer puts their life on the line every time they show up for work, and for that, I am grateful. I am grateful for the men & women who do this job so that my family can be safe…so hopefully, before we all start to complain, let’s think of the many things that our police department does to ensure our safety!

Thank you, again, Sgt. Merritt, for letting me shadow you & ask my many, many questions! It was an experience I won’t forget!