Now more than ever residents are using social media to bring crime awareness to other members in the community. Facebook might be great for staying in touch with family and friends, but one of the biggest and unforeseen benefits of Facebook surfaced when residents started posting crime-related information on the community Facebook pages. Awareness is key to preventing crime and keeping our neighborhoods safe.
Here are a few of the crime-related incidents that were reported by residents on the Canyon Lake Community and Canyon Lake Crime and Safety Facebook pages from February 29 to March 14.
Another child at the field, one who had been playing with Jazzlyn at the time of the incident, was questioned. “She said she saw two boys, about 10 years old, playing with guns behind the building. She didn’t recognize the boys and didn’t know what type of guns they were,” says Tiffany.
A surgeon extricated the BB from Jazzlyn’s head. She received six stitches. “My daughter is doing fine, just sad about getting shot,” says Tiffany. A police report was filed.
Upon reading this news on the Canyon Lake Crime and Safety Alerts Facebook page, a resident posted that, a few weeks earlier, someone shot her front windshield with a BB gun as she was exiting the North Gate.
When the officer’s wife arrived home around 7:30 p.m., she notice that the double front doors were ajar. The officer says, “One of the doors is always secured with upper and lower pins, and we never open it, so we knew someone tried to break in.
The residents searched the home but didn’t find anything missing. “Our two big German Shepherds might have scared them off,” says the officer. The incident was reported to the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
To some people, these two incidents may appear to be an attempted break-in, but it’s actually considered a felony burglary in the eyes of the law. “When you break the plane of the home, it’s considered a break-in, even it you don’t enter the home. It’s a felony burglary,” says the officer.
“Our neighbor informed us that there was a man dressed in black bottoms and black hoodie peeking through her window. Her boyfriend got up and the man ran when he saw him,” says the resident.
Due to the recent rash of crimes happening in Canyon Lake, five more residents have come forward and volunteered to serve as block captains in the Canyon Lake Neighborhood Watch Program. The program was formed in late 2014 and currently has 22 block captains. The goal is to have a minimum of 50 block captains in Canyon Lake.
The purpose of the program is to help forge bonds among the residents in the community, reduce crime and improve relations between police and the community. When neighbors begin working together to report crime, the quality of life in the neighborhood increases, crime decreases and you build a stronger, safer community.
The date of the next block captain meeting is yet to be determined but will take place in April. These meetings are led by Lieutenant Earl Quinata from the Riverside Sheriff’s office. If you are interested in volunteering to serve as a block captain, please contact Donna Ritchie, the Neighborhood Watch Program facilitator, at canyonlakecommunity@yahoo.com
Please note: this program is not affiliated with any other Canyon Lake Watch group or Watch Facebook group. The Canyon Lake Neighborhood Watch Program is the only watch program in Canyon Lake that is associated with the National Neighborhood Watch Association and supported by the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
To view the official Community Patrol and Marine Patrol reports and stats, visit the CLPOA website at www.canyonlakepoa.
If you’d like to stay informed about what other residents are posting on social media regarding crime in the community, join the Canyon Lake Community Facebook group and the Canyon Lake Crime and Safety Alerts Facebook group. These groups are private groups and only Canyon Lake residents are permitted to join.
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