Of our seven board members, four have terms that expire December 31, 2011: Reginald Cunningham (president), Ken Clements (vice-president), Lonnie Brewer, and Nickolas Kyser.  Only Reginald Cunningham chose to run for another term.  There were only three candidates for the other three seats, who therefore were elected without a formal ballot and will take office for three-year terms beginning January 1.  They are: Margit Erving, David Northcross, and Muzette Hill Stallings.  Also continuing on the board are John Autrey and Tamara Perrin.  Matthew Aldrich is resigning from the board and we are actively seeking a new director to fill the remainder of his term, through December 31, 2013.

Several candidates for the board of the University District Community Association were present, and were invited by President Reginald Cunningham to say a few words about themselves.  Mary Jo Smith provided some information about a nuisance abatement project being launched by the Detroit Crime Commission, which despite its name is a private nonprofit, not a city agency.

We try to have at least one interesting outside speaker at every membership meeting.  At this meeting the subject was how we are affected by the Detroit Police Department’s recent announcement that police would respond to burglar alarms only if they are verified.  Sergeant  Bledsoe, Community Relations Officer at the 12th Precinct, explained that this does not mean the police won’t come in response to a burglar alarm.  Ninety-eight percent of all burglar alarms are false alarms.  The purpose of the new policy is to provide faster response to the 2% that are true by screening out as many as possible of the false alarms.  When the alarm is verified, the police will come as quickly as possible.  One obvious way for the alarm to be verified is for the homeowner to confirm that there has been a break-in.  This will probably not be very reassuring, since the whole point of a burglar alarm is to monitor the house while you are away, and if you’re there you will be calling 911 independently of the alarm company.

Another form of verification is for the alarm company to visit the house and confirm a break-in.  This may also seem of limited value because of the time required, and many alarm monitoring companies do not have people nearby.  Remember, however, that as a subscriber you can list the University District Patrol as one of the numbers to be called when there is an intrusion alarm.  Angela Bogan of our security contractor Securitas was also at the meeting.  She explained that when the officers are informed of a burglar alarm, they are instructed to go to the house and check the perimeter for signs of entry.  If they find any, they will then confirm that the alarm company should report the alarm as verified.  They will also call 911, and will normally stay at the house until police arrive.  Of course, this can only be done if the alarm occurs during patrol hours.  Securitas can also provide on-call response to alarms at other times, and the Board is exploring whether this could be an affordable option for our subscribers.

Two more forms of verification may enable you to receive a quicker response.  If the alarm company notifies the police that the alarm has been tripped multiple times, for example a perimeter alarm followed by a motion detector inside the house, that will count as a verified alarm and the police will respond immediately.  If the alarm company provides video or audio monitoring, they will be in position to call police with a verified alarm if such monitoring shows an intrusion.  Monitoring companies may provide this service at a surprisingly small additional cost.  Check with your company.

Sergeant Bledsoe provided some additional tips on personal and property security.  It’s too bad we don’t have her on YouTube, because she is a very engaging speaker.  Among her suggestions:

• Don’t park your car on the street or in the driveway.  Your car is much more valuable than the stuff in you garage that is keeping you from putting your car away.  Move the stuff to the house, put the car in the garage, lock your car and lock your garage.
• Always be aware of who is around you.
• Carry as little money and as few cards as you can, and keep the numbers written at home.
• Women, don’t carry a purse on a long shoulder strap.
• Keep your house keys and your car keys on two different key chains, so that if you lose one you haven’t lost everything.
• If you are ever followed  while driving, drive to the nearest police station.  Call 911 and tell them where you are and where you are going.

Watch for the announcement of our summer membership meeting.  In the meantime, please renew your membership on time, and please encourage your neighbors who are not members to join the Patrol.  Every member who renews helps keep us from having to cut back patrol hours, and every “free rider” who becomes a paying member brings us closer to being able to extend hours.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!