Neighborhood Watch

UPDATES  |  MEETINGS

BBHCA has had an active Neighborhood Watch program for more than 30 years. Current activities are now being reported on this Web page.

Updates

JULY 21-22:     Completed the final park cleanup initiative by the Fairfax County Park crews. Working with Fairfax County Police, the crew trimmed trees, removed piles of debris, and cut away undergrowth to provide good sight lines for police and walkers in the park.

JULY 17:    Marc Wadsworth of Lee District Supervisor office spoke at the third meeting of Bush Hill Park neighbors to address the clean-up of the park.

JUNE 26:   A second meeting of neighbors concerned about incidences of drug trafficking in Bush Hill Park was held June 26. Franconia Crime Prevention Officer Alice Eggers addressed more than 25 neighbors on the issue. Most importantly, she emphasized that any suspicious activity should be reported to the police so that it can be logged and tracked. Minutes of the meetings will be posted to the BBHCA Web site.

JUNE:    The Neighborhood Watch sign at the entrance of Westchester was replaced following the efforts of Dot and Neal Cosby. The original sign was removed after it was vandalized in December last year. Many thanks to the Cosby's.

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Please find enclosed the minutes from the July 17, Bush Hill Park Meeting, with Mr. Wadsworth of Supervisor McKay’s office, as our speaker. I would like again to thank the Merritts for hosting this meeting at their home. As their home borders the park, it was a very appropriate setting for third action phase under discussion.

July 21 and 22 completed the final park cleanup initiative by the Fairfax County Park crews. Working with Fairfax County Police, the crew trimmed trees, removed piles of debris, and cut away undergrowth to provide good sight lines for police and walkers in the park. Thank You to the Kellers, the Ruemplers, the Fishers, and the Merritts for their contributions of picnic food, tables, and help to feed the Park crew. I would especially like to thank Amy Keller for assisting me in food presentation, serving, and clean-up for the crews lunch’s. It was an enjoyable task with beautiful results for our park. Enclosed are photos of this civic event.

I also want to thank all the neighbors who attended these meetings and your show of support and solidarity. It has made a noticeable impact on the police and their response time to the calls from our newly established crime watch. Your participation has made a difference! Unwanted visitors are on the decline, and the neighborhood is increasing their use of the park. It is rewarding to see that a group of determined neighbors can take their park back and make it a safe and family-friendly park.

In closing, I ask you to please keep your park in mind. If you see any unusual activity going on, please continue to phone the Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, or if necessary 911. Have your call registered. Remember, you do not have to give your name if you wish. But these calls you make support the police’s decision to continue patrolling and monitoring our park.

Glenn A. Rowinski, growinski@cox.net

>> July 17, 2008, Meeting Minutes
 

i-Neighbors Networking Site Launches
Sign up as an active Neighborhood Watch supporter and receive/send information and updates regarding neighborhood safety.

>> http://www.i-neighbors.org/22310/BrooklandBushHill

"i-neighbors is a social networking service that connects residents of geographic neighborhoods. Unlike websites that encourage global, national, or city-wide communication, i-neighbors links members of local neighborhoods as defined by the people that create them. i-neighbors helps individuals, communities, and homeowner's associations build social capital by providing a place for neighbors to find each other, organize, share information and work together to address local problems. Our goal is to help people create neighborhoods that are safer, better informed, more trusting, and better equipped to deal with local issues."

"Founded in 2004 as a not-for-profit, advertising, and SPAM free service, i-neighbors now supports thousands of neighborhoods in all 50 of the United States and all 10 Canadian provinces. i-neighbors is operated as an ongoing experiment in community building by a team of faculty and students headed by Prof. Keith Hampton at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania."
No fee required. E-mails not shared.
 

Attendees: Mr. Marcus Wadsworth from Supervisor McKay’s office. A roster of the 18 neighbors attending the meeting was taken and made part of the record.

Purpose: The meeting was held as a continuation of the initial Neighborhood Meeting held on July 17, 2008. This meeting was held for Mr. Wadsworth to speak about Bush Hill Park.

Introduction: Mr. Wadsworth, Mr. Joe Nilson and Jean Lynch toured Bush Hill Park and discussed on what actions could be done to improve conditions in the park. They identified the presence of poison ivy and the lack of sight distance within or approaching the park. Visibility can be improved with the pruning of the trees. As the park is maintained, more people will use it, and the malefactors will go somewhere else. Overall, they found the park to be in good condition with the exception of those points noted.

Mr. Wadsworth continued to review the park condition, stating there was a pile of logs that would be left to create habitats. He also pointed out that removing these logs would have been quite expensive. He recommended that the sign “No Dumping” be removed from the entrances of both sides, as this was more a temptation causing problems, than it was a deterrent.

Once Bush Hill Park has been sprayed, and cleaned up, there would be a follow-up maintenance scheduled. The initial thought is for this to occur during the fall period. Mr. Wadsworth, Mr. Nilson offered to meet with a group from the neighborhood in September to address this.

During the discussion questions arose from the group. The first question concerned abandoned houses, which Mr. Wadsworth stated are watched closely, as these could turn into drug use. All situations of this type found are referred to the Fairfax County Police. There has been a call for regular property maintenance of these types of houses to deter such use as well as maintain the neighborhood that they are in.

The second question concerned foxes in the area. They flow onto the local residences. They can be annoying with their loud cries. But Mr. Wadsworth stated they are important to the ecosystem as they keeping the populations of rats, mice, and squirrels in check. He also mentioned that if you feed the birds, such as with sunflower seeds, that foxes also feed upon them as well. Break the habit by bringing in the seeds at night. Once they start, they come back for more. Also, secure your garbage can by using bungi cords. Foxes are cunning, shy, and nocturnal. If you see one, remember to keep your distance, as there is the possibility they may be carrying rabies. A handout from Huntley Meadows Park was available for those attending the meeting to take home.

Returning to the discussion on Bush Hill Park, cleanup actions with the Park Service was scheduled to begin on July 21st with cleaning and mowing. Following this, pruning of the trees to improve visibility, took place on the second day.

In closing, don’t forget to take your cell phone when you walk through the park. If you see something that is out of place, call these into Fairfax County Police (703-691-2131), or if it is an emergency call 911. Also, think of taking along a bag with you to pick up refuse to keep your park clean.

Security Check. As a reminder, don’t forget that Officer Eggers (second Bush Hill Neighborhood meeting) is available to provide a home security check to homeowners at no cost. Please call Officer Eggers on her phone: 703-922-0889, Ext 2263 to set up an appointment. The security check usually takes an hour to accomplish.

Thank you. A great and much-appreciated thank you goes to Joe and Joan Merritt who were kind enough to host the third neighborhood meeting. Refreshments and a comfortable setting were made available to have this meeting.

1. Follow-Up Meeting. A meeting will be arranged in September with Mr. Wadsworth and Mr. Nilson for review the condition of the park and make plans for any further effort in maintaining the park. We will send an e-mail out to notify everyone of the time and place of the meeting.

2. Continued Maintenance. Discuss for continued maintenance of Bush Hill Park, either with local Scout troops or neighborhood gatherings.

Attendees: Supervisor Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Sgt. Trafton Paar, Fairfax County Police; and Sgt. Paul Alexander, Fairfax County Police. A roster of the 12 neighbors attending the meeting was taken and made part of the record.

Purpose: The meeting was held to talk with representatives from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Fairfax County Police on the increasing visits to Bush Hill Park from those outside the local area, at varied times day or night, leading neighbors to be concerned drug trafficking was involved.

Background: Over the course of the past year neighbors surrounding Bush Hill Park have become aware of increasing number of visits from those outside the local area. Many of these visits have occurred after dark, with some cars having Maryland license plates. Neighbors attending the meeting cited history of the park going back years with similar occurrences.

Sgt. Alexander noted Bush Hill Park was an encapsulated park for the use of the local neighborhood. He noted that the number of calls from the Bush Hill Park area was 136 for the last six months - less than average for a neighborhood, especially one experiencing a problem. He noted this because to commit resources to address a problem such as this - and not other concerns such as robbery, assaults, traffic, and emergencies - would require data to support it - namely calls into Fairfax County Police to register the problem and to establish a pattern.

Upon further discussion, out-of-state vehicles, visitors in and out of the park, staying for only 10 minutes, groups of youth visiting in the dark, and the pattern repeated - these patterns indicate drug traffic. The recommendation by the Fairfax County Police officers was: if anything appeared unusual or out of the ordinary - call the Fairfax County Police Dispatch at 703-691-2131 and register the event. If the situation warrants it, call 911

When asked what the neighborhood could do, Supervisor McKay noted that a first action would be to have a group coordinated by his office come in and clean up the park. A park well kept gives the message it is used and observed. A second, follow-up effort would be perhaps to use local Boy or Girl Scouts to continue the cleanup program. This action and scheduling could also be coordinated through his office.

At the same time, a second action would have the neighborhood meet with Fairfax County Police representatives on Neighborhood Watch. "Neighborhood Watch" signs set around the park would send another clear sign the neighborhood was unified and taking care of their park.

After the meeting was concluded, Supervisor McKay, Sgt Paar, and Sgt Alexander walked through the park, located between Lane Drive and Waycross Street.

1. Start the Cleanup Process. As noted by Supervisor McKay, a group could be brought in to begin cleaning and removing of excessive brush, making the park less cluttered, allowing more light in, and greater visibility within the park.

2. Call when you see something. If you see anything unusual, call and register a sighting with the Fairfax County Dispatch (703) 691-2131 or 911 if necessary. Try to note the date, time, and whatever description of the people and vehicle you can determine - safely! The recommended language to use, as suggested by the Fairfax County Police officers, included such phrases as: "short-term foot traffic", "short-term car traffic", and "suspected drug traffic." If the visitors are dressed similarly, indicating possible gang connections, note that as well. Request your report be registered! If need be, mention the neighborhood meeting with Supervisor McKay. Finally, if you don't want to give your name and address, you don't have to (according to the attending Fairfax County officers).

3. Establish a Neighborhood Watch. We have been in contact with Supervisor McKay's office to establish a first "Neighborhood Watch meeting, hopefully in the next week or two. After the neighborhood discusses this program with the Fairfax County Police representative, a "Neighborhood Watch" sign would be posted adjacent to the park entrances.

4. Adoption of the Park. Once the initial cleaning has been addressed through Supervisor McKay's office / Fairfax County Park Authority, additional cleanup and maintenance can continue with local scouting troops or a neighborhood gathering.

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Last modified: 01/25/12

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