Willow Glen Resident

News

Neighbors say watch program on Spencer is next step in stopping crime

By Alicia Upano

Spencer Avenue neighbors can still remember when their street was infested with drug dealers and gang activity.

"You couldn't leave anything out years ago," resident Ed Rast said. "Gang members and drug users on the way to buy their drugs would take it."

Rast said five drug dealers plagued the street in the 1990s, and the neighbors worked with the San Jose Police Department and code enforcement divisions to eradicate them. Since then, the street has undergone numerous improvements in collaboration with the Greater Gardner Coalition, a city-sponsored Strong Neighborhood Initiative, and the active North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association.

Spencer had been declared one of the top 10 worst-maintained roads in San Jose for decades, before the Greater Gardner Coalition lobbied for the road to be included in street renovations. The North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association has spruced up the older neighborhood with white fences, parks, holiday events, garage sales and Dumpster days.

Yet Spencer residents still face a fair amount of crime. In the past two years, neighbors experienced residential and car burglaries and auto theft. Recently a Global Positioning System was snatched.

"We've had a lot of improvements on the street, and we want to continue that," said Spencer Avenue resident Annette Boyer.

To maintain that momentum, Boyer wanted to bring San Jose's Neighborhood Watch program to Spencer Avenue between Atlanta Avenue and Willow Street. Her neighbors, Clark Williams and Jim Moore, offered to host the neighborhood training. Williams was a candidate in the recent primary election for the District 6 city council seat vacated when former Councilman Ken Yeager became a Santa Clara County supervisor.

While walking neighborhoods during his campaign, Williams often heard residents had concerns about crime in District 6. He became convinced that prevention was key to neighborhood safety.

The Neighborhood Watch program is provided by the San Jose Police Department and offers a two-hour training to residents along with Neighborhood Watch placards to deter criminals.

Crime prevention specialist Kimberlee Gaddis said it's also a great way for communities to come together and use the training as a launching point for other safety activities, such as disaster preparedness.

Gaddis said residents know their neighborhood best and can be watch guards for their community. Police respond only to calls for service and cruise the streets to spot suspicious activity, whereas residents can spot suspicious activity 24 hours a day.

In the past year, area residents have called police about suspicious vehicles and pedestrians and numerous disturbances, Gaddis said.

One Spencer resident had her car stolen in December, and police discovered it had been snatched by preteens. Stolen cars are often found in high school parking lots, Gaddis said, and can be used for transportation or for parts. While Gaddis encourages residents to use car alarms if they choose, the tried and true method is to keep the car locked and empty, she said.

Ideally, residents should park their cars in a garage, which avoids crimes of opportunity. Thieves are on the lookout for laptops, purses, cell phones and checkbooks that are left in vehicles.

While car burglaries may occur during the night when residents are home, burglars tend to seek out homes they can break into during the day when residents are at work.

Burglars often seek privacy through back and side yards, and unlocked bicycles are often stolen from those locations. Residents need to lock all their doors and windows, and consider the safety of pet doors. Gaddis said a San Jose man used his 4-year-old to wriggle through the small doors to gain entry into homes. Thieves will enter homes and take small electronics, cash and jewelry.

"A lot of burglars will knock on your front door and it's not 'cause they want to chat. They want to see if you're home," Gaddis said.

Spencer Avenue resident Valerie Terry said she appreciated learning what suspicious activity to look for, as she stays with her daughter during the days, and hopes to keep a watchful eye for her neighbors.

In general, Gaddis suggests motion-sensor lights, and crime-prevention plants such as bougainvillea or rosebushes, whose thorny branches make climbing walls or entering windows difficult. Every nursery has a list of crime-prevention plants, she said.

Armed with this knowledge, Spencer Avenue residents will be ahead of the curve, Gaddis said, as most communities don't come together until a crime spurs the neighborhood into action.

The San Jose Police Department Neighborhood Watch program is available to all San Jose neighborhoods that gather 10 homes for the two-hour training. For more information, call 408.277.4133.

Crime Watch Tips

Residents may report crime or suspicious activity to the San Jose Police Department in the following ways:

If the event has no immediate threat to life or property, dial 311. To ensure cell phone calls are routed to San Jose and not the California Highway Patrol in Vallejo, call 408.277.8900.

If the event poses an immediate threat to life or property, dial 911. Like 311, cell phone calls may be routed out of San Jose. The emergency number is 408.277.8911. The police will be able to trace the physical location of 911 calls.

Neighbors may report anonymous crime, gang and narcotics tips to the following numbers--408.947.STOP, 408.293.GANG, and 408.971.DRUG.

Police will ask callers to describe a suspicious person and provide information about sex, race, age, height, weight and any distinguishing features such as clothing and tattoos. For suspicious vehicles, police will ask the caller for the license number and state on the license plate, the make, model and color of the car, as well as the direction of travel.

Other city services related to crime include the anti-graffiti program at 408.2772758, and code enforcement at 408.277.4528.