NATIONAL NIGHT OUT TUESDAY AUGUST 7

GRANDE PARK will be participating in NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. National Night Out is an annual event designed to strengthen our neighborhoods though police-community partnerships. The goal is to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, build support and participation in local anti-crime programs and, most importantly, send a message to criminals that our neighborhood is organized and fighting back. It's also the perfect opportunity to get to know your neighbors even better!

GRANDE PARK's NATIONAL NIGHT OUT event will be held AUGUST 7
from 7-9 pm at the GRANDE PARK PLAYGROUND!!!

Refreshments for the kids and adults will be provided. Please plan to stop by, meet some neighbors and get information about GRANDE PARK's CRIME WATCH PROGRAM. Learn who your block captain is and provide your contact information so that your block captain can contact you in the event of a crime event in the area.

I look forward to seeing you and your family at GRANDE PARK's NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT

TUESDAY AUGUST 7 FROM 7-9PM AT THE GRANDE PARK PLAYGROUND!

WELCOME TO THE GRANDE PARK BLOG

This blog will hopefully be a resource to the residents of Grande Park, for information, news, events and more importantly communication among neighbors.

I've lived in Grande Park for 1 year and have just recently joined the HOA Board. I had a lot of questions that probably most residents do about the community, such as WHO ARE THE HOA BOARD MEMBERS? WHAT ARE MY HOA DUES PAYING FOR? IS THERE A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM? and WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE MAIN ENTRANCE ON UMSTEAD??

I've come to find out that there are answers to all of these questions! YEAH!

So, I thought it would be helpful to all of the residents of Grande Park to have easy access to all of the information that I have received from being on the HOA board, as well as create a portal of communication for the neighborhood.

I encourage you all to BOOKMARK this blog, and check back often. I plan on posting EXCITING information about THE ROAD, THE PLAYGROUND, THE LANDSCAPING, PACE CARS, and NATIONAL NIGHT OUT! Exciting stuff I must admit!

I also encourage all of you to provide comments! Your participation is greatly appreciated, otherwise, I am pretty much talking to myself, which isn't as much fun!

Thanks!!! See you around.

Don't Give the Burglar a Helping Hand

Most home burglars are amateurs looking for easy targets. They're looking for homes which present the least risk of detection; the greatest opportunity for easy access; and the maximum potential for escape. They're looking for homes which appear unoccupied and unprotected; without adequate locks and light; open or unlocked doors and windows; and home sites which provide easy concealment form neighbors and passing motorist which would be the natural users of the neighborhood. To make your home less inviting to a burglar, and to increase the natural surveillance of your home, consider employing some of these effective and inexpensive crime prevention measures. By following these suggestions you can decrease your chances of becoming a victim.

Survey Your Home

Look at your home through a burglar's eyes. Does it look like an easy target? Are there obvious security weaknesses?

1. Shrubbery should not obscure doors and windows. Trim the growth so that a burglar cannot work undetected.

2. At night leave a few lights burning outside your home. Lights over doorways and garages and strategically placed area lights will make your home less inviting to burglar. Use photo sensors to turn the lights off during the day time hours.

3. Windows and doors should be securely locked. Inadequate locks should be replaced or supplemented.

4. Make your home look occupied at all times. Use timer switches on inside lights and appliances (TV & Radio) to give the illusion that your home is occupied.

5. Security weaknesses around the your home can be identified by a free home inspection by the Durham Police Department.

When the house is occupied, a key should be left in the keyhole or a convenient location as a means of fast exit in case of a fire. Always remove the key when leaving home. The striker plate should be secured to the door jamb with three inch long screws. For maximum security, consider installing a heavy duty striker plate which has four mounting screws. If a burglar breaks in another way, such as a window, don't provide an easy point of exit through the door. The more trouble they have getting out, the less they will be able to carry away with him. Sticks, bars (Charlie Bars) and broom handles in the tracks of sliding glass doors provide some protection, but they can be removed. Burglars can still pry sliding glass doors open and lift it out of its frame. Sliding glass doors can be pinned for extra security. Remember to secure your locks at all times to reduce chances of you becoming a victim. Do not hide a key under a mat, beneath a flowerpot or on a near by window sill. These places are well known by the burglars. The best place to secure a key outside the home, is with a trusted neighbor.

If a burglar can't easily get through a door, they may well try a window. Proper home security should take this fact into account. While most burglars avoid breaking glass due to the fear of attracting attention, they usually try to pry open windows. There are many inexpensive products on the market for prevention of this type of entry:

1. Double-hung windows latches may be jimmied or pried open. Drill a downward hole into the top of the bottom window and into the bottom of the top window. Insert a pin or nail that can be removed in case of fire.

2. With sliding windows, the primary objective is to keep the window from sliding or being lifted up and out of the track. Pins, anti-slide blocks and slide bolts are effective methods of deterrence. Check with a hardware dealer for advice.

3. Louvered windows can be better secured by removing the crank. Again keep the crank in a convenient location for fire safety.

If you would like to schedule a home security survey, please contact Durham District 2 substation.

Crime Prevention Officer District 2 Substation
560-4582 ext. 235

Neighborhood Watch

The Neighborhood Watch program is a collaboration between residents of a neighborhood and law enforcement agencies to increase information flow and reduce crime. One of the intentions of the program is to facilitate neighbors getting to know each other. The program offers a structure, through phone trees and email lists, for disseminating crime and safety information.

The key persons in any Neighborhood Watch program are the Block Captains. These people are an integral component to keeping the neighborhood actively involved in crime prevention efforts as well as the important process of information exchange between neighbors. How successful our Neighborhood Watch program depends on the Block Captains and the support they receive from neighbors.

Grande Park has 9 volunteer Block Captains! The ‘blocks’ are made up of 9-12 adjacent homes. Each Block Captain is responsible for obtaining and maintaining telephone and/or e-mail contact information for each house in their block. When an incident occurs in Grande Park, the victim should (in addition to calling 911) notify their Block Captain. A list of the Block Captains is on the lower right side of this Blog and will be updated as necessary. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO YOUR BLOCK CAPTAIN IS, PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE HOA BOARD MEMBERS AND THEY WILL TELL YOU. I will have a print out of all Block Captains and their respective Blocks at Grande Park’s NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT on August 7th (more to come on that).

Your Block Captain should have all of your contact information. If there is an incident in Grande Park, the Block Captains, utilizing the Telephone Tree, contact their blocks to notify residents of a particular incident. If done properly, this is a very efficient and effective way to help stop and prevent crime in our neighborhood! Please consider participating in this very important program. Contact your Block Captains to be sure they have your most current contact information.