Mobile Citizen
Patrol . . .
This Association
applied
to be
part of the Communities On Phone Patrol (COPP) pilot program, a
collaborative effort between the U.S. Justice Dept. and Verizon
Wireless (formerly Frontier Cellular) who donated four phones and free
air time to help the TPHA deter neighborhood crime and report
incidents to the Cheektowaga Police Dept. A total Four
Thousand Dollars in grants were received from the state thru
efforts of Assemblyman Tokasz, and from the county thru
efforts of Legislator Olma, to purchase radios and
identification marking for patrol units, and pay for operating
expenses. Each patrol unit is equipped with a cellular phone
and 2-way radio to communicate with police dispatchers and
other units. Radios are also provided by the Cheektowaga
Police Dept. to keep units informed of activity in the area.
Patrol units use
the Genesee Street substation to prepare reports. Besides
patrolling neighborhoods, special attention is given to church
lots, school properties, Villa Maria College, and Town Park.
During warm weather, patrols are maintained in area
cemeteries.
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Watch Alert
Group (WAG) . . .
The
TPHA has formed a member home-based telephone tree for the
purpose of directing crime-prevention efforts in
neighborhoods. Whenever crime activity is reported within our
membership area, an alert plan is put into motion whereby
members who reside in the target area are notified by
telephone regardless of the hour. The members called, then
maintain a watch around their home and if anything suspicious
is seen or heard, they call 911. We are in effect the eyes and
ears of the police department. Our WAG plan has already proved
successful especially when suspects were being pursued by
police through backyards at night.
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