Beth Anderson has found a way to fight back against speeders and reckless drivers — she keeps forms and a pen in the sidepocket of her car door.
"I whip them out, get it all down, and bam, you've got them — it feels good," said the McLean resident. "It makes you feel like you are doing something."
Markie Tyree does not keep forms in her car, but she felt a similar satisfaction when she decided to send Fairfax County police the license plate number of a teenager whose driving struck her as less than safe.
"This driver made me so mad," said Tyree, who lives in McLean. "It felt good."
Both Anderson and Tyree are representatives for their respective Neighborhood Watch groups in McLean. Last Thursday, April 27, a Neighborhood Watch quarterly meeting was held at the McLean District police station on Balls Hill Road in McLean. PFC Patrick Lucas, a Crime Prevention Specialist with the Fairfax County Police Department, talked to the representatives about their community concerns. Residents expressed dismay over a feeling of helplessness when it comes to reckless drivers.
"I slow down to 25 mph when I see that flashing sign, but most people are just whizzing on by," said Bob Johnson, who lives near Spring Hill Recreation Center and Spring Hill Elementary School. "That must be one of the most violated zones in the area."
Lucas said that speeding and traffic concerns are "the biggest complaints that we get," and because there are so many traffic violations going on all over Fairfax County at any given moment, it is impossible to give tickets to everyone who deserves to be ticketed.
"Unfortunately we can't be everywhere all the time," said Lucas.
That is where remembering or writing down a license plate number can prove helpful.
"We will run the registration for that vehicle, and we will send them a letter telling them that someone saw them," said Lucas. "It's easy to catch speeders because they are driving fast, not paying attention, and where are you going to find them? At the next red light, making it easy for you to get their plate."
This can prove particularly useful in helping parents to become aware of their teenager's driving habits.
"A lot of times that car is registered with mom and dad, so that means that mom and dad get the letter," said Lucas.
LUCAS ASKED the Neighborhood Watch representatives to encourage all of the residents in their communities to be alert and attentive to the daily activity in their neighborhoods.
"This area has changed a lot," said Lucas. "We are moving around at all different times of the day now. We used to be that 9-5, Monday to Friday mentality, but that doesn't happen anymore. A car driving through the neighborhood in the middle of the night isn't so unusual now."
Subsequently, Lucas said knowing your neighbors and their habits is crucial. According to him, there are three elements that need to be present in order for a crime to happen — a target, a desire and an opportunity.
"Neighborhood Watch is a key component in reducing these opportunities," he said. "Dog walkers, people who are exercising — these are all great resources [for watching] because they are already out doing that activity."
Lucas also emphasized the "Four D's," which are "Detect, Deter, Deny and Delay." According to him these four things are all crucial in preventing and solving crimes.
"It's amazing how many homes get broken into because the doors were unlocked," said Lucas, noting that unlocked doors provide the key element of opportunity.
Lucas also encourages residents to use the non-emergency police line to report suspicious activity.
"If it doesn't get reported, it doesn't show up on our records," he said.
Beth Anderson said she tells her neighbors to use the non-emergency line as well.
"Reporting it gets people out of complacency," she said.