Garfield Ridge Neighborhood watch training may mean more patrols

A sort of “Neighborhood Watch 101” course

taught last weekend may mean a safer Garfield Ridge in the weeks ahead.

“We felt a need to take out some of

our new members who have not yet patrolledÑas well as those who have patrolled

but not in a long timeÑand give them the basics of what to look for, what to

listen for and what to do when they see something that may not be right,” said

Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch President Al Cacciottolo, who helped lead the

effort.

The group chartered a yellow school

bus and with as many as two dozen members aboard, patrolled the west end of the

neighborhood (west of Narragansett).

“We pointed out what to look

forÑfrom the smallest things like potholes and burned-out streetlights to

things like graffiti, open garage doors and more,” Cacciottolo said. “As

always, we emphasized that we never get out of our vehicles and confront

anyoneÑbut we are quick to call 911 when something does not look right, which

is what police advise all of us to do anyway, neighborhood watch or not.”

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They also were trained what to look

for at local school playgrounds, park, railroad tracks and other hotspots that

are sometimes seen as spawning grounds for juvenile delinquency.

Those new members who sign on for

patrols will find it fits their schedules well, because the GRNW has always

tailored its patrols to meet the needs of its members. Sometimes membersÑwho

patrol in pairsÑwill be out for several hours, sometimes for as little as 60

minutes.

A number of GRNW members already

patrol regularly, at different times on different days. Some have even

patrolled on bicycles or while walking the neighborhood.

The group never discloses how many

members are on patrol or at what times, “because we want criminals to know that

no matter what they try to do or when they try to do it in Garfield Ridge,

chances are that somebody in this neighborhood is watching them,” Cacciottolo

said at a meeting last summer.

Recognized by many as possibly the

largest and most active civilian-led crime-fighting group in the Chicago area,

the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch has tutored a number of people from

across the city and suburbs on the basics of starting and maintaining an

effective neighborhood watch group.

As part of that crime prevention

activity, Cacciottolo said the GRNW plans to host a roundtable meeting in

January for a number of groups interested in starting their own neighborhood

watch or perhaps reviving a stagnant one. Details will be announced in the

weeks ahead in the Southwest News-Herald.

Those interested in joining the

group are advised to send an email to [email protected]

(Editor’s Note: More

news coverage and photos in the print edition of the Southwest News-Herald,

available on local newsstands. Or better yet, call 708-496-0265 during weekday

business hours and order convenient home delivery for about 50 cents a week.)