Neighborhood Watch Calls for More Volunteers
Clark Township
By Amy Polk

A new sign along the highway to Hessel designates Clark Township a Neighborhood Watch zone, but the community's participation in the national Neighborhood Watch program needs more local volunteers trained to spot suspicious activity and keep an eye on neighboring homes and businesses.

Loren Dingman told volunteers February 4 that more people need to be trained before summer if citizens want to try curbing the criminal activity in the township.

A victim of a 2007 home invasion and theft, Mr. Dingman organized the Neighborhood Watch group. He has been encouraged by Mackinac County Sheriff Scott Strait, and deputy Ivan Wilde is providing training to the group, which has been meeting almost monthly since October. Attendance could be better, he said, and ranges between 12 and 30.

Each one-hour meeting covers a different topic.

"I really feel we need to get on the alert before the summer hits and there is a lot more [criminal] activity," Mr. Dingman said. "There was a lot more activity last year than there was in all the 10 years we've been here."

Mr. Dingman moved to Clark Township from an urban area.

The Clark Township group is seeking "block captains" to manage at least 10 volunteers in their neighborhood.

Crime and substance abuse rise when the economy is bad, Sheriff Strait said. Over the past three years, his office has investigated more than 40 break-ins and larcenies in Clark Township. Some of those could have been discouraged with security systems, outdoor flood lights, and locked doors and windows.

Awareness of one's surroundings and identifying suspicious activity also reduces crime and is the basis for the Neighborhood Watch program.

Police encourage residents to report anything suspicious, no matter how embarrassing it might seem.

"Don't be shy," Sheriff Strait told the group February 4. "Whenever you're in doubt, and thinking, 'Geez, should I call?' Call! Law enforcement will take you seriously.

Volunteers have become involved in stopping and solving crime through Neighborhood Watch, so calls from a Neighborhood Watch community are going to be taken more seriously."

Suspicious activity is anything unusual, such as activity late at night or early morning, a car pulling away when the owner of a home or business owner leaves their building, an unfamiliar car parked outside a home or store that does not seem to be doing business at the store or visiting the home, strange odors coming out of a home, sounds of breaking glass, a lot of daily traffic coming in and out of a house, cars driving around the block several times, and loud voices or yelling.

If a suspicious person is identified, Mr. Wilde said, make a mental or written note of the person's appearance, starting at the top and working down. Physical characteristics police are looking for include gender, race, age, height, weight, hair color and style, complexion, speech, and scars.

Vehicle descriptions can include make, model, estimated year, color, graphics, lettering, occupants, and direction.

Deputy Wilde is available to all Mackinac County communities for Neighborhood Watch training.

To help beef up security, Clark Township will install lighting at the corner of Nye Road and Cedar Street, a benefit for walkers and area residents, and Sheriff Strait recommends that residents inform the township of other areas they feel need more lighting.

The Neighborhood Watch group wants to buy 12 signs to post around the township to warn potential criminals of the heightened awareness program. They will cost between $30 and $35 each. Car stickers and home stickers are available through the Sheriff's Department, as well as informational guides and suspicious activity logs.

The next Clark Township Neighborhood Watch meeting will be Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. at Clark Township Hall in Cedarville.