Neighborhood Watch News

Cove Point Beach March 2009 Neighborhood Watch Report

On Monday, March 9, 2009, Shane Foster and I attended our County Bi-monthly Neighborhood Watch meeting in Prince Frederick .

Leaders of the meeting were D/Sgt. Mike Moore,Jr.,Cal.Cty. Sheriff Dept. and Sgt. Rosemary King MSP, both from our County’s CIT unit.

Guest Speaker was Guffrie Smith,Jr., local educator and advocate/spokesman for Calvert County Crusade for Children.

Mr. Smith reviewed 40 of life experiences/assets that our youth need in order to develop healthy life styles and to succeed in life. We, at the meeting reviewed them, checking off the experiences that we had growing up in our own lives. A lot of them are difficult to attain these days with current changes in lifestyles. By that, I mean families are spread far and wide now and work demands limit time available to give our children these experiences. I am attaching a copy of these 40 building assets for you to look over and see if you benefited from the help given to you, early in life. Also I am attaching Asset Building ideas for adults and Cover sheet for Mr. Smith’s presentation with contact information and the next Forum Information.

Mr. Smith’s message to us is that Time and Communication priorities must be given to our youth, at home and in our communities to help them and show that we care. Statistics show that these asset developments do work.

We have several youths here at Cove Point Beach, but no organized social or mentor type settings to offer them. They all pretty much do their own thing. It would be nice if some talented residents could give a little time to sponsor an activity where our youth could interact, learn and have fun. Or, contact Crusade for Children to see if perhaps your talents could be utilized in their organization. Our youth do like to fish and skate board and do spend some time with our local fishermen. Some other sport activity or social activity would be good, too. Now that we have the Park, I think the boys spend a lot of time there in the summer, but have to walk or ride bikes up our dangerous Rte 497.

Next on the meeting agenda was our Current Crime Trends report by Officers Mike Moore and Rosemary King

Northern end of County…….McDonald’s Robbery, some thefts of Catalytic Converters, a few home burglaries in Breezy Point area. A GPS thief from P.G. County was arrested.

Prince Frederick…..Local car thief is still on the loose. He is known to the Police. He takes vehicles, uses them a while, then abandons them.

Some domestic violence cases, plus several guns were stolen from an abandoned house of a person deceased. There has been an increase of DUI arrests, many in daytime lately.

Counterfeit $20.00 bills. A group of teens who were making $20.00 bills from high quality paper were arrested. They were exchanging them in $100.00 amounts for real money at an Arby’s up in the northern end of the county, where one or more of them worked. Before being caught many of the bills got into general circulation.

Chesapeake Ranch Estates…. Heroin bust was made twice. Oxycontin drug and Heroin cause same type of dependency. Oxycontin pills are shaved with a hose clamp and inhaled. That problem continues in most of the communities around us.

Police warned about "Spoof" cards which are legal purchase. User can call people and with the card can change what appears on Recipient’s Caller ID display. Recipients are being tricked into giving out personal information, thinking caller is a valid company with whom recipient has business.

Cove Point Beach

We have been fairly quiet, with some uninvited people beginning to come to our beach entrances . They have been sent away when observed.

The County has installed Radar enforced signs under most of our 25MPH signs, plus "Share the Road" Bicycle signs at beginning and end of L.H. Blvd.

We had some graffiti, the letters MAM painted on our west side L.H. Blvd. 25MPH signs last month. That has been cleaned off. Anyone with information about it, please let me know.

Speeding continues on L.H. Blvd., though not as much as in the past yet. 2 Mailboxes were reported damaged last month, one broken off its post. I see a few more damaged boxes up on Cove Point Road.

I have seen more weekend sightseeing type traffic driving around on our dirt roads and a few walkers whom I do not recognize at night.

Please continue to be observant of strangers. Our Summer Security Officers will begin their patrols Memorial Day weekend. In the meantime, please send away those who do not belong here and report suspicious persons or vehicles driving around.

Thank you all for all your help. I am still doing some NW coordinating with Nip and Shane Foster will be helping us to continue to go forward with our program this year……

Below is a copy of a Calvert County news item regarding March 1, 2009’s storm debris disposal, plus again, please check the above attached County Meeting information.

Fay Fratz, NW Coordinator