Safety & Security Committee Update
POLICE PATROLS IN VOWS
After some false starts, misinformation and a bit of horse trading, patrols in VOWS by off duty Ft. Worth police officers has begun. Through the remainder of this calendar year, off duty Ft. Worth officers will be patrolling in marked cars for twenty hours per week. These patrols will be specifically for VOWS. The officers are hired by VOWS and paid by VOWS through SBB Management. There are at four officers on rotation. Their activities are being administered and monitored through Officer W. T. Watkins. In addition to performing patrols the officers will be available for security at the community center, when requested for specific VOWS sponsored events, such as youth events. Another service that is available is direct communications to Officer Watkins by the neighbors in VOWS. If you have concerns or problems that you think need attention you may email Officer Watkins at police4vows@yahoo.com . Be aware that this email address is not for reporting crimes, but is for communication by neighbors to Officer Watkins concerning the patrols by off duty officers.
After some false starts, misinformation and a bit of horse trading, patrols in VOWS by off duty Ft. Worth police officers has begun. Through the remainder of this calendar year, off duty Ft. Worth officers will be patrolling in marked cars for twenty hours per week. These patrols will be specifically for VOWS. The officers are hired by VOWS and paid by VOWS through SBB Management. There are at four officers on rotation. Their activities are being administered and monitored through Officer W. T. Watkins. In addition to performing patrols the officers will be available for security at the community center, when requested for specific VOWS sponsored events, such as youth events. Another service that is available is direct communications to Officer Watkins by the neighbors in VOWS. If you have concerns or problems that you think need attention you may email Officer Watkins at police4vows@yahoo.com . Be aware that this email address is not for reporting crimes, but is for communication by neighbors to Officer Watkins concerning the patrols by off duty officers.
Also, Officer Watkins advises that if a neighbor is going to out of town for a period of time, they may contact him through this email address and he will ensure that “vacation checks” of the neighbors homes are conducted.
There may be some who are concerned as to why VOWS hires off duty officers. Those concerned would be right in saying that those very officers are paid by the city to patrol neighborhoods and prevent crime. Well, the reasons are numerous and varied. First, the Police Patrol Division that covers VOWS is responsible for a much larger area than just VOWS. Essentially the area is bordered by Highway 377 on the east, Loop 820 on the south, Jacksboro Highway on the west and Highway 170 on the North. The officers assigned to the division are divided into shifts to cover 24/7. Then officers have absences due to vacation, sick leave, court appearances etc. In addition the officers must respond to calls from all over the division. However, having the off duty officers patrolling in VOWS means they are responsible only to VOWS during this employment. So we have officers dedicated to us for twenty hours per week. Another reason for using off duty officers is authority. They are in their uniforms and marked cars. When they pull up to investigate a situation, people recognize the authority they have as police officers and are very likely to comply to the officers instructions. Lastly, they are police officers with the authority to make arrests. If a police officer comes upon persons conducting criminal acts, they can immediately investigate and make an arrest. The addition of these patrols will help to keep our community among those with the lowest crime rates in the city.
CODE BLUE PATROLLERS
There are presently about two dozen volunteer neighbors that assist the police by conducting citizen patrols in VOWS. These neighbors are to be commended for doing what they do. They volunteer their time, their own cars and their own gas to help the police to make sure we have a safe and secure neighborhood. We should all be very appreciative of their efforts. However, as of late there have been some very few neighbors that have been not only less than appreciative, but down right rude and vulgar. Code Blue patrollers are trained and supervised by the police and are not overseen by the VOWS Safety and Security Committee. The fact is that most of the Safety and Security Committee does not volunteer with Code Blue. The Safety and Security Committee is separate and independent from Code Blue. However, the Safety and Security Committee fully supports and respects Code Blue and their efforts. We on the Safety and Security Committee request that all residence of VOWS do likewise.