The City of Albuquerque's website has a link to the city's Neighborhood Watch Program. Check it out.

Albuquerque Ride-Along Program

The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has a Ride-ALong Program in which you, as a citizen can ride along with a police patrol for a few hours in order to see what APD officers see during the commission of their patrols. For more information about this, click here.

Neighborhood Patrol

We need more volunteers for the neighborhood patrol. Out of approximately 625 homes in our area, we have about 30 regular volunteers. You do not have to be an Active Member of GHSCGNA to join the Neighborhood Patrol - the patrol serves all the residents.

Some Security Advice

Security for you, your family, your home and belongings starts first with you! Also, there are many things that can increase your security with cooperation among neighbors. The following suggestions are provided to enhance the security of all.

There are four keys to security in our neighborhoods:

Awareness
Vigilance
Cooperation
Reporting

Awareness

Neighborhood Watch

A watch group is an important tool families can use to protect their neighborhood against burglars and other criminal intruders. A watch group is simply a number of neighbors joining together to keep an eye open for suspicious persons and activities. Ideally, families should form watch groups by becoming acquainted with their neighbors across the street, on both sides and to the rear. They should learn each other's living patterns-things such as when family members are usually home, which members go to which schools and when a family will be leaving to go on a trip or on a vacation. Then neighbors can work together to protect their homes through vigilance.

Neighborhood Alerts

Neighborhood alerts can be found in sites like Net-Neighbor, Neighborhood Associations News Letters, and through your local police departments and news papers. It is advisable to get into a regular pattern of looking at theses resources frequently - especially the resources that address your areas specifically had are updated regularly.

Vigilance & Prevention

Security Patrol

The Glenwood Hills South Casa Grande Neighborhood Association has a neighborhood volunteer patrol that monitors the neighborhood every weekend. It can always use new volunteers. It is a great way to meet people since our patrols are performed by two people each shift. It works in cooperation with the police department and the city, as well as the association, and it provides appropriate training.

Mail

There have been a number of recent incidents of mail being stolen (both out-going and in-coming). Locked mailboxes help protect you from losing your in-coming mail but cannot protect your out-going mail if it is in an unprotected deposit box. It is recommended that you either hand the mail to the postman or mail it at the post office or a post office drop box.

Strangers

Our neighborhoods are large and we certainly cannot recognize everyone who should be in our area - neighbors, visitors, service people. However we should all be aware of people and vehicles that do not seem to belong or are (in the case of people) behaving strangely. If possible, make a note of the descriptions of people, and make, model and license numbers of strange vehicles. If you are really concerned then you should call the non-emergency numbers of the police department. Remember, they cannot be effective unless you can give them the best information you can safely collect.

Garage Arrival

There have been recent reports in Albuquerque of people following neighbors into their garages as they park their cars and robbing them. Each time you arrive home and open your garage, look around to make sure there are no strangers lurking by. Then, close your garage door immediately upon parking - from inside the car if possible. Locked car doors are always advised.

Unusual Happenings

We live in a dynamic society with many people arriving and departing at different times of the day and night. However sometimes houses are visited by an unusually high number of different visitors at all hours of the day and night. If something looks highly suspicious - it could be drug related and should be reported through the non-emergency numbers for the police department.

Cooperation

The best thing we can do as neighbors is to help each other. Mini-Neighborhood Watch groups (you and your immediate neighbors) are highly effective ways to reduce crime. Get to know the neighbors on each side of you, in front and in back too. Exchange emergency contact information, working hours, times when you expect to be away for an extended period of time. Hey, you could make new friends at the same time.

There are two highly visible clues that you or a neighbor is not likely home:
Newspapers in the driveway.
If your neighbor is gone or has an afternoon paper delivered - take his/her paper and place it in a place that is not easily observable from the street;

Trash cans left out on collection days.
Likewise, if your neighbor works during the day, their trash can may sit out all day leaving a notice for bunglers that the home is likely unoccupied. Take the time (and enjoy a little more exercise) and remove your neighbor's trash can from the street.
And don't forget to help in the standard vacation time pickup of vacation mail, news papers and flyers.

Reporting

Suspicious happenings should be reported to the police department as soon as possible - remember to use the appropriate phone number - 911 for emergencies only and 242-2677 (242-COPS) for non-emergency situations. After that you should notify your local neighborhood association's security director so the security patrols can be alert to what is going on.

General Crime Prevention Information

Some common situations that could mean trouble include:

A stranger entering your neighbor's house when it is unoccupied.
Anyone removing car accessories, license plates or gasoline.
Anyone peering into parked cars.
Apparent business transactions conducted from a vehicle.
Anyone loitering around schools, parks, secluded areas or on the street.
Any vehicle moving slowly and without lights or one following an apparently aimless course.
Vehicles containing one or more persons parked at unusual hours.
Vehicles being loaded with valuables in front of an unoccupied house.
The sound of breaking glass or loud explosive noise.
Persons being forced into vehicles.
Someone going door-to-door who test the door to see if they are locked or who goes around to the side or to the back of the house.
Someone waiting in front of a house when it is unoccupied.
Open doors or broken windows at an unoccupied house.
Continuous repair operations at a non-business location.
A delivery man with a wrong address

House Security

Do not "hide" a key on the exterior of your house.
Keep cash and other valuables in the bank.
Make a list of the serial numbers of your valuable property—like TVs, VCRs, watches, cameras, computers, cell phones, etc., and include descriptions and photographs if possible.
Use either deadbolt or jimmy-proof locks on all outside doors.
Use chain locks, heavy bolts, or some similar secure device that can only be operated from the inside on doors without cylinder locks.
Make sure none of your locks can be opened by someone breaking out glass or a panel of light wood to reach them.
For basement doors, use locks which allow you to isolate the basement from the rest of the house.
Keep locks in good repair. li>Either know for sure everyone who has a key to your house, or have the locks changed.
Lock up your ladder after use to make it difficult for a burglar to use.
Avoid placing trellises or other climbing aids near windows.
Lock your windows. Use locks which allow you to lock a partially opened window.
Keep these locks in good repair and make sure they're securely fastened.
Use bars or ornamental grills on vulnerable locations.
Focus on basement and second-floor windows as well.

Vehicle Security

Consider adding an alarm, j-bar, or ignition kill switch to your vehicle.
Never leave your keys in an unattended vehicle, even for a few minutes.
Lock your vehicle and put possessions in the trunk when leaving it unattended.
Street Parking: Find a well-lighted area. Garage Parking: Lock the garage. Driveway Parking: Face the street. Engine tampering will be more visible to passersby and the police.
Keep vehicle trunk and house keys on a separate ring. Give/leave parking attendants just the ignition key.
Keep a spare key in your wallet or purse. Never store it anywhere on or near the vehicle.
Unless required by law, never keep your vehicle registration or title certificate in the vehicle.
Keep a record of your vehicle license number, vehicle identification number, engine serial number, and serial numbers of any accessories, in your wallet or purse in case your vehicle is stolen.

Neighborhood Security

Know your neighbors, exchange home and work numbers.
Watch each others' residences, inform each other when you'll be away, leave contact information.
Consider leaving a key with a neighbor.
Give neighbors alarm system information. Give security codes to anyone who is supposed to be in your house (such as your cleaning service or pet sitter) while you are away. Police spend unnecessary time responding to calls from security companies which they receive because someone inadvertently set off an alarm.
Be aware of activities on the block and throughout the neighborhood.
Report suspicious activities, watch for patterns, discuss events with your block captain and police.
Call your security patrol and others to introduce new neighbors.
"Stoop sit"—be out front whenever possible.
Make sure your skylight (and any rooftop access door) is secured.
Keep outside lights on throughout the night—front, back, and lower landings. It reduces the atmosphere for crime by providing a lot more light on the street. If everyone participates, the illumination provided by all the additional lights will really make a difference. It also helps the police identify the right house because sometimes front house numbers are hard to find at night in the dark.
Use timers to make your house look lived in while you're away.
While away, ask neighbors to collect your flyers, newspapers, mail, etc. Delay delivery of mail and newspapers when possible.
Call the police department if you're going away on vacation—they will watch your house.
Trim bushes to avoid hiding places. Cut back and prune shrubs which provide hiding places for robbers and thieves, and install lights where possible.
Report nonfunctioning street lights to the city.
If you are the victim of a crime, contact the police and your neighborhood security patrol.
When your house is on fire, or you've called for the police, having your house number at the rear of your property greatly improves police and fire response in an emergency. The police point out that they cannot even identify a house properly by color since the front and back are often different.
The next time you're making repairs to your roof, take the time to paint your house number on it. This helps the helicopter units identify their location.
Please don't interrupt officers when they are in the process of handling a call for service. Wait until they are finished if you have to know what's going on.
Stay alert when walking the streets. Police often see people walking with their heads down reading a book or the newspaper, oblivious to their surroundings.
Provide police with good descriptions of suspects by focusing on pants, shoes and any unique attributes, such as hair style. Coats and hats can be quickly shed by suspects.
Don't leave your car running with the keys in it, even for a moment. A car was stolen from in front of the Post Office when a woman ran in, leaving her keys behind in the car. Thieves hang around such areas just waiting for these opportunities to appear.
Keep everything either out of your car or out of plain site. Almost half of our monthly crime statistics involve thefts of cellular phones, clothing, CD players, CDs, car stereos, briefcases, roller blades/knee pads...you get the idea. And protect your out-of-town guests by informing them of this.

Home Safety Tips

Ensure that your second-story windows cannot be reached by a burglar using such things as the garage roof, TV tower, ladder or tree limbs.
Make sure tools and ladders are kept where they cannot be used by a burglar.
Install locks on interior doors leading to area such as garages, solariums and basements.
Always keep your garage door locked.
Try to make your house look occupied when you are away.
Know your neighbors' phone numbers and inform each other of your travels.
Keep police and emergency phone numbers posted near your phone.
Mark all your valuables for identification, insure then and store them securely. Important documents and some valuables should be stored in safety deposit boxes.
Inform family members about your security precautions and make sure they practise good security habits.
Install an alarm.
Whenever possible, park your cars in your garages. The humor passed by the detective teaching the course is that people are parking their $30,000 cars on the roads and driveways because they are storing their $3,000 "treasures" in their garages.
Whenever possible, have a "Lockable" mail box and always take your out-going mail to a Post Office drop box or to the Post Office itself.
Pay attention to what is going on around you at all times. If something seems strange don't hesitate to report it to the police immediately. If possible, without putting yourself at risk, get as much pertinent information that you can - descriptions of people and license numbers of cars and trucks.

And Lastly, Be a Great Neighbor!

If you see a newspaper sitting on the driveway way after it should have been picked up - take it up to the house and leave it out of sight of passers by.
If your neighbor goes to work before the trash is picked up each week - move his or her trash can off of the road and place it where it looks natural.
If you are going to be gone from your home for an extended period of time or even just overnight - tell two neighbors when you'll be back and an emergency contact number. Ask them to watch your house and pick up papers and mail while you are gone.