Willow Glen Resident
News
Willow Glen neighborhood elist helps police when crime strikes
By Alicia Upano
Email can sometimes be the online equivalent of the clothes dryer--everything comes out except that mystery sock.
On the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association online listserv, community safety concerns can be lost amid lively discussions about coffeehouses, developments and neighborhood goings-on. To ensure these concerns reach the San Jose Police Department, listserv administrator Larry Ames is now asking residents to email the police directly.
Police leaders subscribe to the community's electronic email list to learn about residents' concerns and possible crimes, as well as to gather tip information. But the police were finding that they had to wade through messages about lost dogs, favorite bakeries and traffic to find the safety-related postings.
In June, the police requested Ames set up a separate police email to ensure they receive postings that pertain to criminal activities. Ames now asks residents to email the listserv, elist@wgna.net, and copy the message to the police at police@wgna.net when there are crime-related emails.
Originally, former San Jose interim police chief and Willow Glen resident Thomas Wheatley monitored the elist before he retired in January 2004. In December 2004, San Jose District 6 council aide Tony Filice asked Western Division Capt. Manny Martinez to pick up the task, which he did. Martinez transferred and the new Western Division Capt. Richard Fairhurst is now the one monitoring the activity.
Ames often sends a reminder out on the community elist to contact the police through the elist whenever neighbors talk about a crime.
Residents interested in joining the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association elist should contact admin@wgna.net. Residents need to be members of the association's elist before they can copy the authorities at police@wgna.net about criminal activities.
