National Night Out, Oct. 5

Posted Aug 19, 2010 11:30am by Chip Rosenthal in Events, Safety | no comments

National Night Out 2010 LogoDate: Tuesday, October 5
Time: 6 – 9 pm
Location: Throughout our neighborhood

NSCNA would like to encourage neighbors to host National Night Out block parties this year. We’d like to tell you what NNO is and how to participate. If you decide to hold a block party, please let us know and we’ll compile a map of neighborhood events.

National Night Out is in its 27th year. It’s a program designed to “promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships.” Much of the country observes NNO in August, but since that’s a trifle warm for Texas, our state has designated October as a more appropriate time for these outdoor community events.

Anyone can host a NNO event. The Austin Police Department has details about what you can do that evening, whether it’s a get-together with some refreshments, a cookout or a neighborhood walk. APD has an application you can fill out to host an event.

(You can request that safety personnel visit your event, but last year APD had over 55 requests in our district, with less than five available officers to cover. That averages to under 16 minutes per party – less travel time!)

NNO block parties are a great way to visit with your immediate neighbors, and something that neighbors tend to enjoy. Plus, they can be low-key affairs that aren’t a lot of work. All you need to do is supply some drinks, maybe a few snacks, and invite your neighbors to drop in.

An NNO block party is one of the best ways to help keep your street safe. We hope you’ll plan to participate in NNO this year. Wouldn’t it be great to have a party on every block in North Shoal Creek?

How to Participate

First, submit the request form to APD if you wish to officially register your block party. The advantage of registration is that you receive NNO materials, plus you can request a visit from safety personnel. (But see our note above about limitations on visits.) Registration deadline is September 15.

Second, please let NSCNA know. We’ll compile a map of block parties so neighbors can find out if there’s a party near them. Contact Andreas Guenin at nightout [at] nscna [dot] org or 512-323-2613.

Finally, invite the neighbors on your block. We recommend that you distribute a flyer or invitation directly to your neighbors. You may want to request neighbors bring snacks or lawn chairs.

Let Andreas know if you have any questions or need assistance.

Highland Mall Safety Fair, August 21

Posted Aug 18, 2010 9:00am by Chip Rosenthal in Events, Safety | no comments

Date: Saturday, August 21
Time: 11 am – 3 pm
Location: Highland Mall

Connect with the local agencies dedicated to keeping our community safe at the free Safety Fair. The day will included Safety Education and Fun for everyone. Come and see the Fire Truck, APD Bomb Squad and Robots, CPR lessons, Child Identification and more. The Safety Fair will have exhibits on crime prevention, drug and  alcohol awareness, fire safety, bike safety, crime prevention and much more.

NSCNA Safety Committee Meeting, July 25

Posted Jul 17, 2010 3:21pm by Juliette Kernion in Events, Safety | Comments Off

Date: Sunday, July 25
Time: 3 – 5 pm
Location: Village Christian Apartments Activity Room, 7925 Rockwood Lane (directions)

If you are interested in safety issues concerning the North Shoal Creek neighborhood, please join us next Sunday for a Safety Committee meeting. We’ll be discussing a number of neighborhood crime and safety issues and upcoming activities, including our participation in this year’s National Night Out.

If you have any questions, need more information, or can’t attend the meeting but still want to help the committee, contact Chip Rosenthal at (512) 573-5174 or safetychair [at] nscna [dot] org

APD Commander’s Forum, June 1

Posted May 22, 2010 5:00pm by Chip Rosenthal in Events, Safety | Comments Off

Austin Police Department logoAustin Police Department Central West District will host a Commander’s Forum next month.

Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Time: 6:30 – 8 pm
Location: McCallum High School Cafeteria, 5600 Sunshine Dr. (map)

Guest speaker will be Alissa Schram with MetroRail.

The Austin Police Department conducts Commander’s Forum meetings in each APD district to share and discuss issues and concerns with residents and business owners, in order to improve the quality of life in that district.

First Quarter Crime Analysis

Posted Apr 27, 2010 9:00am by Chip Rosenthal in Safety | Comments Off

The property crime situation in our neighborhood took an uptick in February, but has been slowly improving through the year. The first quarter statistics reported by the Austin Police Department have a few glitches, but otherwise show improvement.

Here are the raw numbers for some key crime types for the first three months:

Jan Feb Mar
Burglary of Residence 2 5 3
Theft 7 5 8
Burglary of Vehicle 1 7 8

There are some issues with the statistics that cause the March numbers to look higher than they are. Some crimes end up being recorded multiple times, or in multiple categories. Also, some of these statistics include property crime at commercial locations, as well as residential crime. As a result, these numbers sometimes make the crime situation appear worse than it really is.

For instance, although there were eight theft incidents recorded in March, three of those were at commercial addresses. Three of the residential incidents occurred on the same block on Penny Lane on the same day.

So although the “Burglary of Residence” and “Theft” columns add up to 11 for the month of March, there were actually just five residential locations at which these crimes occurred: 26xx Clarkdale, 88xx McCann, 32xx Mossrock, 27xx Penny, 85xx Rockwood.

For the eight “burglary of vehicle” incidents in March, after eliminating duplicate addresses and commercial locations, only two residential locations are identified: 27xx Thrushwood and 88xx Dawnridge.

At this time, the preliminary April statistics show continued improvement on residential theft and burglary. Burglary of vehicle statistics, on the other hand, appear to be increasing, although most of the problems appear to be at non-residential locations.

Please continue to keep a watch out for your neighbors, and call 911 to report suspicious behavior. Also, please take extra steps to ensure you don’t fall victim to automotive burglary. Here is a web page by TxDOT with helpful information: Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention

To Report a Bat

Posted Apr 19, 2010 2:59pm by Chip Rosenthal in Safety | Comments Off

drawing of leaf batWe received the following message from APD Central West District:

To report a bat: please call 311.

If you have questions about rabies, or think that you may have had physical contact with a bat, please call:

The Department of State Health Services
Zoonosis Control
254-778-6744

Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department
Surveillance Unit
512-972-5555

Although bats are fascinating animals and helpful in nature, they are also high risk for spreading rabies. If you find an injured, sick, or dead bat, please do not touch it. If you require assistance, you can notify your local animal control agency or local health department.

If a person has contact with a bat, there is a possibility of exposure to rabies. Bats have been increasingly implicated as wildlife reservoirs for variants of rabies virus that have been transmitted to humans. Bat bites are not always visible; therefore, any close contact with a bat’s mouth needs to be carefully evaluated.

More information at the Texas Department of State Health Services: Bats Information

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