“Eyes on the street” is an old concept. Urbanist Jane Jacobs wrote about it 50 years ago in The Life and Death of Great American Cities. The value is that we can all be the natural proprietors of the street and take responsibility for what types of activities happen and which do not. A campaign launched by the Grandmont Rosedale Crime Prevention Task Force aptly named, “On the Lookout”, hopes to reinforce how important collective community action is and how it can lead to tremendous benefits for the whole.
“On the Lookout” aims to increase the observation and reporting of crimes in our community. By reporting detailed information about when, where, what, and a suspect description, we can assist our police department in reducing crime. It also sends a message to criminals that in our community, we do not tolerate crime.
The goal of “On the Lookout” is not to just be additional eyes and ears for the police department, but also to encourage social connection and neighborliness among residents. The Crime Prevention Task Force hopes that people don’t just watch their neighbors, but look out for them, as well.
To be “On the Lookout” you must observe your community for at least one minute a day. You can observe from your window, front or back porch, while you’re walking or riding your bike down the street. If all 14,000 residents of Grandmont Rosedale participated, even just once a week, that would be over 12,000 hours of extra security for our community.
To learn more about the “On the Lookout” campaign, how to observe and report suspicious or criminal activity and how you can get involved please visit www.mygrandmontrosedale.org/onthelookout.