Be a Good Neighbor - Report Suspicious Activity

A recently aired (March 7) segment of the NBC "Dateline" examined more crime could be prevented if we less apathetic about what goes on around us. As neighbors we need to be aware of what is going on around us and not just ignore unusual activity because it doesn't affect us or we think someone else will take care of it.

In our recent Neighborhood Watch briefing, Officer Nida of the Fairfax County Police encouraged us to report any suspicious activity, no matter how insignificant we thought it might be. A few days later, my doorbell rang one evening and by the time I got to the door and managed to look through the peephole, the two gentlemen planning to pay me a visit has walked away. I assumed from the way they were dressed that they were religious workers (soliciting in Greenwood is prohibited, incidentally), but as a precaution, I called the non-emergency police number and was told that a police cruiser would come by the area. Now, as I said, I THINK they were probably "harmless" but, all the same, I would rather take 5 minutes of an officer's time to check that out, than hear the next day about a home invasion in Greenwood.

Please report ANY suspicious activity, no matter how trivial it may seem. Use the non-emergency number on the magnet you recently received.

Reporting suspicious activity is especially important when it comes to children. Please watch this perturbing video which aired as part of the dateline story and teach your children to report anything out of the ordinary or situations they are uncomfortable with. Click on the link below to read the Dateline article and watch the video.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17508172/