Is it Safe?
May 5, 2021
When I was in my 20’s a friend recruited me into the El Paso County, Colorado Sheriff’s Posse. In 1970’s Colorado everything had a western bent—hence Posse instead of Sheriff’s Reserve. We attended a police academy, carried weapons and, after certification, rode (patrol cars–not horses) with full time deputies on patrol. It gave me an idea of what law enforcement is up against every day.
Almost every day we read or watch TV accounts of deputies or police officers giving the ultimate sacrifice to protect us from the bad folks that will do us harm. This year one of our own Henderson County Deputies made that sacrifice.
Our neighborhood is known for being safe with little crime but it did get me to thinking how safe are we? I contacted the director of 911 services for our county and requested a report of “calls for service” for Mountain Valley and was pleasantly surprised. Of the 52 calls to 911 in the last 12 months, 23 were for medical help. Most of those calls requested Emergency Medical Service. We had one call for vandalism, one for fraud, one for suspicious activity and one for theft. There were two calls for disturbances, one for a loose animal and one for a firearm discharge. I suspect that last call could have been due to our neighbors across the valley. Other calls were minor routine investigations.
It’s hard to believe that a neighborhood without street lights or a gate has one theft and one act of vandalism in an entire year! I’ve come to the conclusion that we do a better job of taking care of one another. There are a few things to remember to keep up the good safety record.
Each of our homes have outside lights on the porch or garage. Install some automatic LED bulbs in those fixtures that come on at dusk and go off in the morning. They cost pennies a week to operate and light up the area in front of your home. Crooks don’t like lighted areas or barking dogs.
If you get a call from someone who demands payment in gift cards or Bitcoin, hang up. The same goes with strange emails from anyone demanding money. I have reported and blocked 108 spam emails in the last 3 months.
If you have medical issues, get a Life Line device that can be used in a medical emergency. In the last 12 months 3 of our neighbors activated their devices through the 911 system.
Always lock your home doors and car. Garage door openers left in an open car are an invitation to return later and get into your home. Better yet put the car in the garage and close the door.
And finally, as we discovered a few weeks ago, door to door sales people have a difficult time understanding our no solicitation sign at our front entrance. You are not required to answer the door for strangers. They don’t deserve our southern hospitality. Be safe and be aware.
Have a wonderful May
Doug Abbotts
MV HOA President