Hurray! Our application for IRS Tax exemption has been approved – we are now a 501(c)3. – Start sending those check 😉

With the new status we need more volunteers!

• Marketing/PR person – outreach, update web-site write mailers etc.
• More Tech people who is willing to help other neighborhoods install their cameras with proper training from the organization
• Legal assistance – where is the lawyer who want to join our board?
• Neighborhood Outreach – Presenting for the neighborhoods.
• Anything else

If you would like to get to know us before volunteering, come by our open Board-meetings, they are usually held on the last Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Oakland Hills. email secretary at neighborhoodguard dot com for confirmation of date and location so that you don’t show up in vain.

Watch this little video clip and everything should be clear.

Stone thrown against camera takes it out.

We setup cheap Decoys to for the benefit of the criminals.

Read on how to camouflage the Camera here: Painting the Camera

Also check out the article on Camera Tampering Detection

Problem:

The office of councilmember Libby Schaaf is awarding Oakland A’s tickets to the most organized Neighborhood.

These are the 15 neighborhoods competing against each other in District 4:

1. Montclair
2. Shepherd Canyon
3. Piedmont Pines
4. Oakmore
5. Lincoln Highlands
6. Dimond
7. Woodminster
8. Crestmont
9. Laurel
10. Redwood Heights
11. Davenport
12. Maxwell Park
13. Allendale
14. Fairfax
15. Melrose

Here are the official details from Libby Office:
==============================================================

Do you live in an organized neighborhood? Are you helping to bring your community together? Tell us about it!

August 6th is National Night Out— a night to celebrate our neighborhoods and bring neighbors together. National Night Out (or NNO) was introduced in 1984 in an effort to promote neighborhood camaraderie and involvement in crime prevention activities. In recognition of National Night Out, Councilmember Libby Schaaf – District 4 is offering FREE Oakland A’s tickets to the most organized D4 communities.*

    There are three ways for a neighborhood to win:

        1. Have the greatest total NNO block parties on August 6th

        2. Have the greatest increase in total NNO block parties

        3. Be named the most organized neighborhood in District Four

For contest 1 and 2, simply register your NNO party with City here: http://gismaps.oaklandnet.com/nno/

For contest 3, click HERE for survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1181Vg45maPkQ10OzqTmTyNyF5Hubl3bjTYA6Kz9IYBU/viewform

Please be sure to forward this email to your friends and neighbors…organized neighborhoods build community and public safety!

* Libby Schaaf’s office is still working out the details on the A’s tickets, so they cannot yet promise a specific number of tickets.

================================================================

Here is the Kicker in the Survey for contest 3

Extra points are awarded to members of Neighborhood Guard

Sign up for neighborhood Guard today and increase your changes of getting A’s tickets.

Oakland Police department announces the borders of its new 5 districts.

Splitting Oakland from 2 districts into 5 districts Oakland is recommended by the Bratton Group. From the Bratton Group Report.

“These reforms are an important component in the larger effort to move the OPD to a Neighborhood Policing Plan, with the city divided into five districts, each commanded by a captain. The key to this new district-based structure is geographic accountability for each captain – and for their subordinate lieutenants, sergeants, and officers – for a specific area of the city with its specific crime and disorder problems, its familiar community members, and, to a significant degree, its specific cast of criminal characters. Under the Neighborhood Policing Plan, the district captains will be the principal crime fighters in the Department, each taking responsibility for crime in their respective districts and each held accountable for designing and directing responses and strategies to counter crime conditions.”

The 5 new Oakland Police districts

Continue reading →

Target Selection (what burglars look for):
Familiarity

• Near pool of offenders (is there a parolee halfway home nearby).
• Near major thoroughfare.
• On outskirts of neighborhoods (greater exposure to strangers).
• Previously burglarized (4x more likely to get burglarized again compared to non-burglarized homes (reason-burglars return to get property left behind or tell others of desirable houses, offer cues for a good payoff or easy access. Burglars may return months later to steal property, which owners have presumably replaced through insurance proceeds. Most concentrated in lower-income areas, where burglaries are more numerous).
• Houses near burglarized homes (burglar may return and if previous house is hardened, select another nearby house).

Occupancy

• Houses vacant for extended period.
• Routinely vacant during the day.
• Houses of new residents.
• Houses w/o dogs (a dogs presence is a close substitute for human occupancy and most burglars avoid houses with dogs).

Visibility

• Houses with cover (tall bushes, sprawling, dense trees that block view of house from street) are more appealing to burglars.
• Houses that are secluded are more appealing to burglars.
• Houses with poor lighting are more appealing to burglars.
• Corner houses are more vulnerable (fewer immediate neighbors).
• Houses with doors and windows that face other houses appear to be less vulnerable to burglary.

Accessibility

• Houses easily entered through side or back doors/windows.
• Hostile vegetation, such as rosebushes or cacti, below windows is good deterrent or window locks.

Vulnerability

• Houses with weakened entry points.
• Houses whose residents are careless about security (leaving windows open) studies show houses with alarms combined with other security devices reduce burglaries (including window locks, dead bolts, security lights and alarms).

Potential rewards

• Houses displaying signs of wealth (though burglars avoid the most expensive houses).
• See goods through windows of buildings or autos.

What Burglars are After:
Goods Stolen

• Cash
• Jewelry
• Weapons
• Electronics
• Easily portable items (not usually art, fine china, etc).

1999 statistics show burglars are:

• 87% male.
• 63% under 25.

What do burglars do:

• Burglarize 2+ houses a week.
• Burglars typically dispose of stolen property within 24 hours.
• 2/3 of burglars force entry, 1/3 enter through openings.
• Burglar swill be caught approx. 1 in 30 times.
• Most burglars motivated to get quick cash to support drug/alcohol habit.

Responses for homeowner (should be used in collaboration with each other, not all have to be used):

• Report all incidents to OPD using the on-line OPD Citizen’s Crime Report.
• Install a burglar alarm (Burglars steal less from houses with alarms).
• Install a CCTV system (Help more in identifying burglars and vehicles).
• Harden your target (Sturdy front door with deadbolt, window locks (no latches), double pane windows.
• Increase occupancy indicators (Interior/exterior lights left on, closed curtains, noise (from TV/stereo), cars in driveway, and
• electrics on timers, anything else to make it appear as if someone is home).
• Avoid leaving clues when you are away on extended vacations-collect mail/newspapers
• Improve visibility to the house from street/neighbors.
• Implement or participate in your Neighborhood Watch Program (and follow advice of program).
• Reduce House access.
• Reduce ways into the house, into the yard.
• Mark your property
  • Engrave items:
    • Use etching liquids
    • Owner applied number
  • Write down serial numbers and keep in secure spot, etc.
  • Take photos of all equipment serial numbers using your smart cell phone.

Other Deterrents

• Install fake alarm signs (or real ones if you have a system).
• Install “Beware of Dog” signs (even if no dog).
• Place dog bowls in front of your property.
• Install locked gates in your yard’s rear access points.

REMEMBER:
Residents should use all installed security devices.
From US Dept of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services- www.cops.usdoj.gov

Setup Dreamhost storage.

Do NOT keep your confidential information on www.someneighborhood.org, instead make a subdomain for your confidential information.

Set up a subdomain for your video captures, then you can use the main site for your neighborhoods web-site. e.g. www.someneighborhood.com for your neighborhood web-site and securitycam.someneighborhood.com for the video files.

Setup the Camera.

1. Enter Camera Setup.
2. Make sure you are running the latest firmware
   1. Camera version on Setup – About
   2. download from http://www.axis.com/techsup/firmware.php
   3. Install on Axis Setup – System Options – Maintenance
3. Set time to use NTP server.
   

   P1347 & 1357
   Internet time servers rule. here is a few to choose from: tick.usno.navy.mil, time-c.nist.gov, time-nw.nist.gov

   Continue reading →