What if you looked out of your window and saw someone you didn’t know unscrewing the light bulb from your neighbor’s front porch? What would you do?
That’s exactly what happened to a Neighborhood Association president I met last week. He first called the police. He and another neighbor then went out to investigate why a strange young man was on their friend’s porch. He did the right thing and called the police, but what really caught my attention were two things: His sense of ownership of safety in his neighborhood and his attitude of defiance against crime.
"We don't allow that junk in our neighborhood,” he told me.
Making Montgomery a safer community for everyone may take a little defiance, along with a sense of ownership on everyone's part. You can help by getting information to help identify suspects such as jotting down car tags, providing clothing descriptions, or making a mental note of the suspect’s height and weight.
The active roles of our community partners make all the difference, and we at MDPS are also doing everything we can to combat crime. Our approach has involved surgically and tactically aggressive policing such as removing more than 500 illegal guns from the streets, more community policing, and specific operations in high-crime neighborhoods. We also must keep working to build strong partnerships among the police, schools, neighborhood groups, churches, parent groups and others dedicated to building a better Montgomery.
We also are excited about a new long-term program, the Montgomery Homicide and Violent Crime Review Commission, to help identify and address specific causes of crime.
As Mayor Todd Strange explained to the news media Friday, changing the life of a child is a victory. He said the City is also working on helping find solutions to crime problems, including mentoring programs for young people. The results may not be seen for many years, but such programs are positive steps in helping young people find the support systems they need to live productive lives instead of abusing alcohol or drugs, joining gangs, and/or committing crimes.
Police Chief Kevin Murphy also said the Department is reaching out to professionals such as emergency room physicians and social workers for insights on reaching the city's youth. Many do not have the support systems they need at home and turn to the streets for their sense of "family."
There's a lot of good in Montgomery, and one of our greatest assets is citizens who look out for the public's safety with an attitude toward crime that says "we don't allow that junk in our neighborhood."
