Susan Jutcawitz said she doesn’t think twice before telling strangers in her Fourth Ward neighborhood that there’s an active neighborhood watch there.
That kind of attitude is catching on in the neighborhood, which comprises the area around Ansonia Middle School, between Wakelee and Howard avenues.
Just a few months after launching a neighborhood watch, residents and police said they see a difference.
“Since we started, I noticed it helped a lot,” Jutcawitz said during the group’s third meeting Wednesday night at the Charter Hose Co. headquarters on Murray Street.
A few dozen residents, including Fourth Ward Alderman Jerome Fainer and Mayor James Della Volpe, came to the meeting.
They discussed concerns about fledgling teenage gangs and speeding cars in the neighborhood with Ansonia Police Officer Rick Esposito and Det. Jerry Tenney, who have been working with the neighborhood to help stop crime.
But mostly, the group leaders used the meeting to reinforce the idea that simple communication and dedication can make a difference.
“It is working,” Block Captain Ed Norman said, urging those present to get more neighbors involved. “The bottom line here is communication, communication, communication.”
Norman said concerns about drug dealing and speeding in the neighborhood led residents to form the block watch. Now they’re trying to get the word out to other homeowners that it’s OK to call police if they see problems in the area.
And Tenney said the police are doing their part by responding as quickly as possible.
“We do the best we can,” Tenney said. “We say time and time again that we can’t be everywhere, and that’s where block watches come into play. We don’t want you to tackle them. That’s our job. You’re the eyes and the ears.”
“We have to get people to start calling,” Tenney said. “You might think it’s a hassle to the officer, but it’s not.”
Jutcawitz said she has been direct with people who were lurking near her house, asking them if they needed help and informing them about the neighborhood watch. She said she has called police several times.
“You guys have never made me feel like I was bothering you,” Jutcawitz said to Tenney and Esposito.
Other residents said they felt better now. Esposito said stats show that crime has gone down, but that positive feedback from residents is more meaningful than numbers.
“Your statistics can show there’s a change, but the big picture is that you live there and have you noticed a change, are you happier,” Esposito said.
The group is now looking to get grants so they can print up informational magnets and fliers, Norman said. Neighborhood watch signs will be installed soon.
The next meeting will be scheduled for sometime in April.
