[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Agreed. But I also think that how Community Watch is constrained by the Powers-That-Be adds to the general frustration that people seem to have about them.

Case in point: Community Watch monitors and reports water usage in contravention of the current regulations on lawn watering. Well and good. But...when people have suggested to those same Powers-That-Be that Community Watch monitor and report the more egregious examples of rule infractions regarding property, they are told that it isn't the job of Community Watch to monitor and report such things!

My question is why not?

& that is my problem with Community Watch. There driving around all day, doing whatever ... when they could be doing more productive things, besides sight-seeing.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

Will the Sherriff's deputies replace them patrolling our streets ? I think not.

Please define "patrolling".

To most folks, the word "patrolling" would imply some "enforcement authority", I think?

Perhaps not limit the "patrolling" to identifying open garage doors & excessive newspapers on a driveway?

[Stu from NYC]

Think it is something of a deterrent.

Wonder what the individual cost to us is?

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Oh cool, Community Watch has returned to the front of the hate cycle.

I'll regurgitate my CW beef - here goes again:

The guy at the Shay gate needs to not be there, not be paid to be there. He could become the new roaming pool-ID-checker for all the pools in the Greater Spanish Springs area, from the Historic Side down to Chula Vista and up to that new pool on Morse near Hacienda.

The Shay gate isn't an actual gate. There's no gate there. Just a gate house. It's wide open. Anyone and everyone can come and go, without stopping at all, no button to press, nothing. And, the person inside just sits there, with the blinds half-closed, so you might not even notice that he's there at all. He sits there reading or watching videos on his tablet or whatever he does in there. And gets paid.

So that's my CW beef. Shut down that gate house completely. Leave the house there for decoration because it adds to the "illusion" of a secured community.

Agree gate houses are low hanging fruit. They are redundant to the red button.

More than one a car I could not see from the golf cart has unexpectedly been waved through as we crossed.

[CarlR33]

I was wondering the same thing a while back when they had all the new CW SUV’s parked in a staging area what a lot of $ for someone to go around and wave at you. For the people wanting to report street lights it simple if they are Duke’s. I have done it several times with positive responses on repair.
Street & Area Light Repair Map - Duke Energy

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by mraines

Yes, that's why we have drug houses and homes with uncut lawns and bushes. Tell me again what they do?

Neither of those violations are within the scope of CW's responsibilities. Call the sheriff for the first and community standards for the second.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

I can't wait!

I think Community Watch is one of the largest money pits in the District's Budget.

https://youtu.be/H9tUiWgzNWo

403 Forbidden

Unfortunately, change comes slowly to TV.

Add the amount vehicles village rec lease you can double that. Every rec center has truck and some have ATV also, then there community watch, and rec department that assist community watch. Hundreds vehicles.

[asianthree]

We see WPD, more than community watch. Plus it was WPD, initiated the call our garage door was open at 2am. Patrol Car Waiting in front of the house until I arrived.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

I can't wait!

I think Community Watch is one of the largest money pits in the District's Budget.

https://youtu.be/H9tUiWgzNWo

403 Forbidden

Unfortunately, change comes slowly to TV.

Someone will wind up paying for whoever is patrolling the Villages' neighborhoods. To me, fellow Villagers in marked cars is better than much higher paid police. I assume the police make more than the current Community Watch employees.

[village dreamer]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

Will the Sherriff's deputies replace them patrolling our streets ? I think not.

a what??? when was the last time a sheriff went past your house.......

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by village dreamer

a what??? when was the last time a sheriff went past your house.......

Lady Lake has its own city police department, so we rarely see any County Sheriff vehicle in our area. We do see the city police cars come through though, we're part of their routine patrols. Between the Community Watch and the Lady Lake police, we enjoy a lot less crime overall than that "online website" gives us credit for. Most stops stem from people who don't live here, being pulled over while driving through here on charges that have nothing to do with them being here at all. Mostly we just get trespassers, and the occasional drunken old guy making too much noise in the country club parking lot. We did have that one murder though.

The police are efficient and awesome. Community Watch is less efficient, but they do enjoy some efficiency. They're also less awesome, but they're better than average. They are not security guards, they're not paid to be security guards. They work in conjunction with the police to maintain a relatively peaceful and safe community here.

[jimhoward]

I figure the people on community watch take those jobs because they are looking for something to do or because they could use a few extra bucks, or both. I'm fine with that. The cost is buried in my ridiculously cheap amenity fee. I don't need a deep dive into how much utility is actually provided by that team. It seems likely they are mostly make-work jobs.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by jimhoward

I figure the people on community watch take those jobs because they are looking for something to do or because they could use a few extra bucks, or both. I'm fine with that. The cost is buried in my ridiculously cheap amenity fee. I don't need a deep dive into how much utility is actually provided by that team. It seems likely they are mostly make-work jobs.

If you have someone who has worked the same route for a while he or she will notice the differences in the homes they pass by every so often.

[TheVillageGlossator]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

CW does more than open a gate. Driving past every home 3x/day on a random schedule is a deterrent to criminals. Helping to check IDs at pools helps keep outsiders from using the facilities that we pay for. Some of my neighbors have received the phone call that they left their garage door open late at night--- a sure invitation to those with ill intent. Even the gate attendants might spot a suspicious person or vehicle better than a camera. Yes, a lot of their presence is designed to give the illusion of a gated community, but what they actually do is worthwhile

Exactly right. There is a lot to be said for eyes and ears, and SUVs with 2-way radios, 24/7.
Not so much an illusion but rather a perpetual public-facing posture that signals we place a high priority on security.