By Kelly O'Connell Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
The neighbors on Lynda Lane had a neighborhood watch program in place. News 3 On Your Side
Email to a Friend
Stumble It!One woman called 9-1-1 when she saw the suspects leaving the home.
Her quick actions helped police apprehend the suspects in a matter of hours.
Having your own program in place is simple and costs nothing; we’re on your side with how you can do it.
The neighborhood watch program calls itself a "nosey neighbor" organization.
Usually that not a good thing...but in yesterday's burglary, being nosey paid off.
It's all about knowing what's going on around you and neighbors in the Hilton Heights neighborhood could tell something was wrong Tuesday morning.
"If she wasn't paying attention, they would have walked out and gone and we would have never known about it,” says Columbus resident Mark Renner.
Mark's wife acted fast, calling 911 when she saw the suspects leaving the home.
Thanks to her quick action, Columbus police were able to catch the suspects.
It's that quick thinking that's so important and so essential in keeping neighborhood's safe.
“Who your neighbors are, having a phone close by cause you have to watch out for your friends, have to watch out for your neighbors,” says Renner.
That's key to neighborhood watch programs.
A program police say is key to keeping your neighborhood safe.
“Changing the way they do things, do things more safely, strength in the numbers when they merge together,” says Sgt. Warren Dunlap of the Columbus Police Department.
And it's simple.
All you have to do is ask the police to help you set one up.
“People feel well, I don't want to mess with the police department, they're busy, but if they don't report it to us, we don't know it happened, one of the first things is start reporting,” says Sgt. Dunlap.
Start reporting and start paying attention.
“Keeping us in the know, giving us that pertinent information, taking one minute to give us a description could be the difference between a quick apprehension and a suspect getting away,” says Sgt. Dunlap.
The quick actions of mark's wife are proof enough that being alert pays off.
“You have to be observant, you have to watch what's going on in your neighborhood,” says Renner.
Watch, so you can help stop the crime before it happens.
Right now there are about 150 organized neighborhood watch programs in Columbus.
Any neighborhood can start up a program, it doesn’t matter where you're located or how many homes are in your area.
Plus, the best part, it's completely free.
We're on your side with how you can start a program in our neighborhood, just call Columbus police at 706-653-3173 or click this link.
http://www.columbusga.org/police/neighbor_watch.htm
