Below are some frequently asked questions and their answers
Last Update: 03-Mar-2014
Last Update: 03-Mar-2014
Q - Are they armed?
A - No. But, they are "armed" with 2-way communications to FASP dispatch, video cameras, law enforcement grade light bars, cell phones, and professionally outfitted patrol vehicles. This makes it clear to everyone that our patrol officer is not alone and can get help from OPD quickly if a situation escalates.
NOTE: We all have heard about or seen OPD responding within minutes to crimes in progress if and when someone is on scene watching something go down.
Another set of eyes & ears on our streets increases the chance that a criminal will be caught in the act and eventually convicted. This benefits all of Oakland.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
NOTE: We all have heard about or seen OPD responding within minutes to crimes in progress if and when someone is on scene watching something go down.
Another set of eyes & ears on our streets increases the chance that a criminal will be caught in the act and eventually convicted. This benefits all of Oakland.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Q - What area is this for?
A - Above MacArthur & between Coolidge & Lincoln. My understanding is that this area contains areas referred to as Upper Dimond and Lincoln Highlands.
(added 1-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - How many times per day or night will they walk/drive by my house?
(added 1-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - How many times per day or night will they walk/drive by my house?
A - We will be setting up a dedicated car based service with First Alarm Security and Patrol (FASP). This means that the same person is assigned to be in our area during a time window based on how much time we can pay for. The number of times the officer goes by any particular house is variable.
Our neighboring association WNA has members on Coolidge, including me until NUDL starts up. My family and I have seen the FASP patrol in our comings and goings about five times in one day.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Our neighboring association WNA has members on Coolidge, including me until NUDL starts up. My family and I have seen the FASP patrol in our comings and goings about five times in one day.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Q - What are the hours of the patrol?
A - Depending on how many people we can get to participate. With about 100 people we can begin with 4 -5 hours Mon - Friday. Start & stop times and maybe even days of the week will be variable so we do the best we can to avoid being predictable.
We need at least 100 member households to get 4 hours of coverage five days a week assuming $25.00 - $30.00 per household per month. If we have 200 member households we would then got to 8 hours per day for five days.
Should we get 300 - 400 member households we then have options such as reducing cost, adding evening or morning shifts for trash days, extending into the weekend, and so forth.
Based on my count of homes on Google Maps, there appear to be 850 homes, or more, in the area we are trying to organize.
NOTE: This totally depends on the price quote from the security service provider being in line with what we have seen in the surrounding areas so far.
(updated 02-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - Who is providing the patrol service?
A - I am working on getting First Alarm Security & Patrol to provide the service. They have a good reputation working with Maxwell Park and are now patrolling the Wisconsin Neighborhood Association. This started Feb 15th, 2014.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
If this does not work out for some reason, there are other companies who provide this service.
Please check out this web site to get an idea of what's going on with some of First Alarms other communities served - http://www.communitypatrol.net/
We need at least 100 member households to get 4 hours of coverage five days a week assuming $25.00 - $30.00 per household per month. If we have 200 member households we would then got to 8 hours per day for five days.
Should we get 300 - 400 member households we then have options such as reducing cost, adding evening or morning shifts for trash days, extending into the weekend, and so forth.
Based on my count of homes on Google Maps, there appear to be 850 homes, or more, in the area we are trying to organize.
NOTE: This totally depends on the price quote from the security service provider being in line with what we have seen in the surrounding areas so far.
(updated 02-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - Is there data telling you these patrols reduce crime?
A - Yes, Rockridge has done some analysis showing a 45% drop in crime rates as a result of the patrols http://goo.gl/P3aRXb . Oakmore has data indicating and 85% reduction.
(added 15-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - Who is providing the patrol service?
A - I am working on getting First Alarm Security & Patrol to provide the service. They have a good reputation working with Maxwell Park and are now patrolling the Wisconsin Neighborhood Association. This started Feb 15th, 2014.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
If this does not work out for some reason, there are other companies who provide this service.
Please check out this web site to get an idea of what's going on with some of First Alarms other communities served - http://www.communitypatrol.net/
(added 02-Feb-2014 - jd)
Q - What are their rules of engagement for suspicious activity?
A - Engage, question, escalate to OPD if the situation becomes serious. They are not police officers and they are not equipped to engage physically any more than you or I.
Q - What about racial or other profiling?
A - as an organizer and your neighbor I take any kind of racial or other profiling very seriously. The security companies we have heard from take it seriously as well. It can't be allowed. The patrols will not be successful if this becomes an issue.
(added 31-Jan-2014 - jd)
Q - What about racial or other profiling?
A - as an organizer and your neighbor I take any kind of racial or other profiling very seriously. The security companies we have heard from take it seriously as well. It can't be allowed. The patrols will not be successful if this becomes an issue.
(added 31-Jan-2014 - jd)
Q - Do they call the cops when they see people sitting in cars on the side of the street?
A - It would depend on what they learned when they engage the occupant(s).
Q - Do they take photos of the tags and the occupants of suspicious vehicles?
A - Yes, I understand they do take photos and record information.
Q - Do they stop unfamiliar people and ask what their business is in the neighborhood?
A - Yes, but the approach is usually to engage in small talk.
Q - Do they make contact with people going door to door?
A - Yes.
Q - Do they send out emails to the group in real time when they see suspicious characters on our streets to be on the lookout?
A - Good question, this may vary depending on the service finally selected.
Q - What remedies are specified if they do not comply with their stated levels of service?
A - We plan to only pay 90 days in advance. If we are not happy, we go find someone else.
Q - Does the patrol have a direct line to the police?
A - No. What they do have by virtue of their alarm monitoring & reporting infrastructure is faster connections to multiple law enforcement dispatch centers including OPD. This means they get an answer faster than most of us calling on land lines and cell phones. This is similar to how large companies connect to the telephony infrastructure.
(updated 15-Feb-2014 - JD)
Q - Is it proven that the police response time is faster as opposed to a resident calling in?
A - Yes, anecdotally, this is what all of the groups using these patrols are reporting. This may have to do with the patrol handling some of the less threatening calls and only calling on serious situations, I am not sure.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Q - Does this include alarm monitoring?
A - No. The fee is for the patrol service only. However, most people can add more than one party to be notified by their alarm service company. If, as a subscriber, add First Alarm to your alarm monitoring company’s list then they can call First Alarm and First Alarm can then have our patrol go to your home. The size of the proposed area should allow the patrol to respond to calls within 4 - 5 minutes.
Also, FASP will offer discounts to all residents in NUDL on alarm monitoring service. Besides being an obviously smart move business wise, it enhances FASPs overall response time in the area.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Q - I already pay for alarm monitoring. Isn't this a duplication of that service?
A - No. This service is intended to deter criminals from being in the neighborhood in the first place. It also provides you with another option besides engaging suspicious individuals face to face yourself.
(added 1-Feb-14 - jd)
Q - Will FASP do anything if my neighbors alarm is going off or if they see something hapenning on their property and they ate not a NUDL member.
A - Yes, they will act on everything they see. We are hiring them to patrol the entire NUDL area.
The incentive to join NUDL is to gain access to all the benefits of being a member listed on the CrowdTilt enrollment site and especially to expand the hours of patrol coverage.
(added 3-Mar-2014)
A - No. The fee is for the patrol service only. However, most people can add more than one party to be notified by their alarm service company. If, as a subscriber, add First Alarm to your alarm monitoring company’s list then they can call First Alarm and First Alarm can then have our patrol go to your home. The size of the proposed area should allow the patrol to respond to calls within 4 - 5 minutes.
Also, FASP will offer discounts to all residents in NUDL on alarm monitoring service. Besides being an obviously smart move business wise, it enhances FASPs overall response time in the area.
(updated 3-Mar-2014)
Q - I already pay for alarm monitoring. Isn't this a duplication of that service?
A - No. This service is intended to deter criminals from being in the neighborhood in the first place. It also provides you with another option besides engaging suspicious individuals face to face yourself.
(added 1-Feb-14 - jd)
Q - Will FASP do anything if my neighbors alarm is going off or if they see something hapenning on their property and they ate not a NUDL member.
A - Yes, they will act on everything they see. We are hiring them to patrol the entire NUDL area.
The incentive to join NUDL is to gain access to all the benefits of being a member listed on the CrowdTilt enrollment site and especially to expand the hours of patrol coverage.
(added 3-Mar-2014)
Q - Will the association provide regular reports on the accounting?
A - We will work to provide some level of regular reporting on the accounting of the organization. We do not have a treasurer yet. I don't want to make promises for the people helping with that task.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Be nice!