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CC SR 20220215 03 - Neighborhood Watch Update_Redacted RPV NW is a community-based, resident-run organization that exists to make neighborhoods safer through crime reduction and improving the quality of life for individuals living in the same area. The RPV NW runs separately from the City and uses its network to address issues related to crime, public safety, and quality of life. City Staff work in collaboration with NW Coordinator Lorenzen on various public safety topics, whereby the City promotes the Neighborhood Watch program to residents and encourages participation, and NW Coordinator Lorenzen networks the City’s public safety events and messaging. The Neighborhood Watch program has prided itself on being community -run and managed solely by volunteers. Neighborhood Watch has provided an invaluable service to residents, providing a network to connect directly with reports from the Sheriff’s Department, as well as sharing community observations and support relating to public safety. RPV NW is a success because of the amazing work of NW Coordinator Lorenzen and the hundreds of volunteers who participate in the program. There are currently 400 Block Captains throughout the City who report to about 55 Area Coordinators, who in turn report to NW Coordinator Lorenzen. According to Coordinator Lorenzen, approximately 90% of the single-family streets in the City belong to the program, and around 60% of the Bl ock Captains have been participating for over 15 years. NW Coordinator Lorenzen considers the dedication of these volunteers to be the reason for the success of the organization. RPV NW is structured around a National Incident Management System (NIMS) command structure and is prepared to respond in an emergency. RPV NW provides materials for Block Captains to conduct annual emergency drills and encourages members to take Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and amateur radio training. The Neighborhood Watch network disseminates information from the Sheriff’s Department and tracks and provides alerts on suspicious persons, incidents, and online criminal activity. RPV NW shares Sheriff’s Department alerts such as weekly crime reports and networks information, including public safety tips and scam alerts. Neighborhood Watch continues to operate via email, phone, and in-person and does not use social media of any kind. It is managed by volunteers and is supported through voluntary member contributions. See attachments A and B for copies of letters provided to residents who join RPV NW. The City reimburses the NW Coordinator from the contribution fund for certain expenses such as mileage, training, and phone and internet service. In 2006, the City Council awarded a proclamation to NW Coordinator Lorenzen for “Founding and Organizing the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch Program and Providing Outstanding Leadership for this Grassroots Volunteer Organization.” In the past, the City has provided a lun cheon in recognition of the NW volunteers. Staff will be re-implementing this luncheon, anticipated in mid-2022. 2 Importance of Resident Engagement with the Sheriff’s Department One of the primary goals of RPV NW is facilitating neighbors to work together to fight crime. They do this by connecting residents with the Sheriff’s Department. This not only builds trust, but has fostered a cohesive, community-based crime-fighting effort. Public safety relies on community engagement, exemplified through the principle of “see something, say something” and extensive networking. If a resident feels that something isn’t right, they are strongly encouraged to report their susp icions to the Sheriff’s Department for investigation and afterwards network information throughout the neighborhood. The Neighborhood Watch network is extremely beneficial both in encouraging direct communication with the Sheriff’s Department, as well as s haring information with neighbors. The Sheriff’s Department frequently calls on Neighborhood Watch to ask residents to check their camera footage in neighborhoods where crimes have happened. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: In August 2021, Staff met with NW Coordinator Lorenzen and discussed how the City’s relationship with Neighborhood Watch could continue to evolve in the years to come. Staff has continued an open dialogue with Coordinator Lorenzen and looks forward to continuing to work together with her to support her efforts related to Neighborhood Watch. This includes collaborating with the City on issues such as emergency preparedness and quality of life, and providing access to City-resources needed to advance the RPV NW program. Staff would also like to thank NW Coordinator Lorenzen for her input on this report. Coordinator Lorenzen will not be available to attend tonight’s meeting, so Staff will be providing this update, with a few Block Captains anticipated to provide additional comments. Other Block Captains have written in, sharing their experience with Neighborhood Watch, and expressing appreciation for Coordinator Lorenzen’s efforts. Responses received before February 8 are included in this report; all others will be included as late correspondence (see Attachment D). Residents who would like to join Neighborhood Watch, or who wish to set up a Neighborhood Watch team on their block are encouraged to email NW Coordinator Gail Lorenzen at rpvnw@ix.netcom.com. CONCLUSION: Staff recommends the City Council consider adopting the attached draft resolution, recognizing the vital work of the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch. 3 ALTERNATIVES: In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for the City Council’s Consideration: 1. Identify revised language to add to the resolution. 2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate. 4 Resolution No. 2022-__ Page 1 of 2 RESOLUTION NO. 2022-__ A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, RECOGNIZING THE VITAL WORK OF THE RANCHO PALOS VERDES NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH AND EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR ITS HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS WHEREAS, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes values and places the highest priority on public safety; and WHEREAS, in 1992, the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch was started by NW Coordinator Gail Lorenzen, at the behest of the City and Lomita Sheriff’s Station, in response to an increase in crime and a need to have better communication between residents and the Sheriff’s Department; and WHEREAS, Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch is a community-based, resident-run organization that exists to make neighborhoods safer through crime reduction and improving quality of life for individuals living in the same area; and WHEREAS, Neighborhood Watch uses its network to address issues related to crime, public safety, and quality of life; and WHEREAS, over 400 volunteers contribute to the success of the program, acting as Block Captains and Area Coordinators, distributing vital public safety information from the Sheriff’s Department to their neighborhoods; and WHEREAS, in 2006, the City Council awarded a proclamation to N eighborhood Watch Coordinator Lorenzen for “Founding and Organizing the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch Program and Providing Outstanding Leadership for this Gras sroots Volunteer Organization”; and WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch continues to work toward its goal of facilitating neighbors to work together to fight crime, building trust, and fostering a cohesive, community-based crime-fighting effort. NOW BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES AS FOLLOWS: Section 1: The City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes recognizes the vital work of the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch and its hundreds of volunteers. A-1 Resolution No. 2022-__ Page 2 of 2 Section 2: The City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes sincerely appreciates the dedicated and tireless work of the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch, and the volunteers who make it a success. Section 3: The City Clerk shall certify to the passage of this resolution. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED THE 15th DAY OF FEBRUARY 2022. ___________________________ David L. Bradley, Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________ Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk State of California ) County of Los Angeles ) ss City of Rancho Palos Verdes ) I, Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above Resolution No. 2022-__ was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on February 15, 2022. ________________________ Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk A-2 BEGINNING The RPV Neighborhood Watch program began in 199 2 when I was ending a 2-term commission position with the City. LASD Captain Bill Mangan and the Mayor at that time, asked me to start a Neighborhood Watch for 2 reasons: (1) The city was experiencing greater crime right after the L.A. riots. (2) The City and the Sheriff’s Dept. needed better communication and liaison with the residents. MANAGEMENT OF PROGRAM The program was set up as a separate organization so as not to be influenced by City politics. The success of the program should be attributed to the dedication and support of our hundreds of volunteers, the residents, and the support of the Sheriff’s Dept. I set up the program as a system of "reporting areas", which included several NW reporting areas within the Sheriff's Dept. RD’s. (See attachment.) The system consists of 55 Area Coordinators (who report to me), and some 425 Block Captains (who report to Area Coordinators). Currently, approximately 9 0% of the single-family streets are in the program. We do not network to individuals - only through Block Captains, as the primary goal of NW is to "work with neighbors to fight crime". We do not allow our network to be used for any commercial or political purposes - only for crime, public safety and quality-of-life issues. We have been told that our NW program is the largest and longest running program in L.A. County. Some 60% of our Block Captains have been doing their jobs for at least 15 years. Our network system is excellent because we can disseminate information quickly, and can also track and network suspicious persons, incidents and solicitors wherever they are in the city. Our office is open from 7 AM to Midnight, 7 days a week. My primary computer includes 73 separ ate e- mail address groups. INTERACTION WITH SHERIFF'S DEPT. NW networks crimes to Area Coordinators and Block Captains based on the Sheriff’s Dept. alerts, weekly reports or reports by residents. Any information I receive from residents (tips, license plates, photos) is sent directly to the Sheriff's Dept. I send out many Crime Bulletins, which encompass every crime situation within the city that I know about, and how to prevent them. All Crime Bulletins are authorized by the Sheriff’s Dept. before sending. Anytime the Sheriff's Dept. wants something networked, I can target the information to individual Block Captains, streets, areas, sections of the city, or the whole city. It takes me 3 minutes to network to all Block Captains on the West Side, and 5 minutes to network to every Block Captain in the city. I am very careful to send out only authorized information – not rumors, not second-hand information, not un-vetted social media. NW does not use social media for many reasons, including maintaining the integrity of our organization. I keep a daily timesheet for the Sheriff's Dept. FINANCIAL Unlike other Neighborhood Watch groups, which are supported financially by their city or law enforcement agency, RPV Neighborhood Watch is managed by volunteers and is totally self-supported by voluntary one-time $5 donations. The only cost to the city is depositing our donations, reimbursing our expenses, and installing NW signs. All other costs are borne by the NW organization through these voluntary contributions. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS (EP) Shortly after 9-11, we held a gathering of city leaders – school, City, amateur radio, CERT (then PERT), LASD, and LA County Fire Dept. to discuss an emergency preparedness RPV NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Background and Organization B-1 program for the City. A program was set up with the help, guidance, and approval of our L. A. County Fire Battalion Chief. This is a hands-on program organized using the NIMS command structure, which is essentially the same as our NW program, with EP Block Captains over teams for Assessment, Communication (working with amateur radio), and Special Needs (Medical, Elderly/Disabled, non-English, etc.). NW provides all forms on Household Resources and Skills, Job Descriptions, and agendas for the one-hour annual drills that we ask the EP Block Captains to hold. We encourage people to take the CERT and amateur radio training. Every year since 2008 I have sent out an in-depth 6-week tutorial series of earthquake safety information to all NW members. We highly support and recruit many RPV residents into the PVP CERT programs. We also work closely with PVAN, the Peninsula Volunteer Alert Network. During my time at CLEPP, I gave out this EP tutorial information through CLEPP to other LASD agencies. The City of Malibu posted our 8-week earthquake series on their website for 2 years. WILDFIRES Since the Peninsula has been designated as the 5th most vulnerable area in the state for wildfires, we began an in-depth 5-part series in 2017. TRAINING I have had the following training during the last 28 years. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH 1. Member of LASD CLEPP (Community Law Enforcement Partnership Program) under Natalie Salazar, attended monthly meetings and trainings since 1992 until its demise. 2. Member of CCPOA (California Crime Prevention Officers Assn.) Active member from 1992 until its temporary demise in 2015. Attended most meetings and annual conferences. During this time , I took many POST-accredited courses. 3. Attended every LASD RCPI (Regional Community Policing Institute) training offered by the Sheriff’ s Dept. 4. Graduate of 1999, 13-week LASD Community Academy Training at Carson Sheriff’s station. 5. Attended Supervisor Don Knabe’s annual Community Protection Conferences at C ollege Hospital much of which was taught by FBI individuals. 6. Have attended every annual Training Conference for LASD Volunteers at the Sheriff’s Dept. Academy. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Besides many LASD EP training courses I have taken the following: 1. Charter member (Associate) since 2008 of California Earthquake Authority (CEA) based at Cal Tech. Took full train-the-trainer courses. I update the training every year and send out annually to the residents a 6-week series tutorial on earthquake survival. I have also started the wildfire education program since our peninsula is very vulnerable to wildfires. 2. NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) ICS-200 and IS-800 Training programs. 3. The Governor’s 3-day conference in 2005 on Terrorism. B-2 4. The L.A. Port's training on Port Terrorism. In 2013 I set up a program with Ernesto Arellano, a Border Control Agent, to warn coastal residents about how to watch for and report panga activity. This included working with the three other Peninsula NW groups, NW groups in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and the City of Malibu. 5. CERT Graduate 2009. Board Member - PVP CERT program for 2 years. 6. I have spoken to the Emergency Preparedness Committee on 4 different occasions as well as the City Council. AWARDS Besides 17 awards from LASD, including 3 from the L.A. County Sheriff, I have received the following awards. 1996 Medal of Honor for Volunteer of the year, Palos Verdes Lions Club 1997 Award for Exemplary Service and Outstanding Achievement to the community (in City Category) by the Carson Companies. 1997 California State Assembly - Certificate of Recognition for Receiving the Dominguez Brand Award for City Government. 2001 CPOA (California Police Officers Ass'n.) Award for Contributions and Dedication to Public Safety and the Law Enforcement Profession. 2006 Proclamation from the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes for “Founding and Organizing the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch Program and Providing Outstanding Leadership for this Grassroots Volunteer Organization”. 2006 National Sheriff's Ass'n. and Dept. of Justice Assistance. The second ever award as the “Most Exemplary Neighborhood Watch in the US” - not only for our Neighborhood Watch program, but for our Emergency Preparedness Program. This award is given to a distinguished citizen who fulfills the qualities of honor, service, courage, leadership and patriotism, and has contributed to the defense and security, and thereby the freedom, of the community, state or nation in an exceptional manner. They covered the trip to Fort Lauderdale for both my husband and I to receive the award from the head of the Dept. of Justice Assistance. 2008 I was invited by the Dept. of Justice Assistance to the first National Watch Program in Lexington, Ky. The purpose of this table-top discussion conference was to brainstorm on how each of our disciplines could contribute to protection from terrorism. One person from different disciplines and sectors in the U.S. represented and shared information. I represented Neighborhood Watch for the entire U.S. Other agencies represented were heads of such entities as marijuana law enforcement, truck drivers, real estate agents, boaters, Coast Guard, universities, transportation etc. I was the only volunteer. 2011 Woman of the Year nominee from Assemblywoman, Bonnie Lowenthal. 2020 National DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) award given for “being a distinguished citizen who fulfills the qualities of honor, service, courage, leadership and patriotism, and has B-3 contributed to the defense and security, and thereby the freedom, of the community, state or nation in an exceptional manner. “ Dec. 2020 B-4 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH RANCHO PALOS VERDES (Block Captain) Dear Resident: Your block is now a part of the Rancho Palos Verdes Neighborhood Watch program. Following is a summary of the program, what it does for you, and your role in making the program successful. WHAT IS NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH? Neighborhood Watch is a proven and effective means of reducing crime. It is also the framework for our Emergency Preparedness program. The concept is based on neighbors working together with law enforcement to curtail crime. Approximately 9 0% of our city’s single-family streets, as well as several multi-unit complexes, are in our organized citywide program resulting in a dramatic drop in crime in those areas. We have seen a measurable difference in crime rates between areas in an organized program, and those without such a program. This is because neighbors report all suspicious activities to the police, network all crime activity and mutually watch out for each other. RPV Neighborhood Watch was started in 1992. In 2006 we were selected by the National Sheriff’s Association and the Department of Justice Assistance as “The Most Exemplary Neighborhood Watch in the United States”. In 2020 we were deemed the 4th Safest City in California. COMMUNICATION SYSTEM As a member of an organized Neighborhood Watch, your street is part of a citywide crime prevention network and warning system. An Area Coordinator liaisons with Neighborhood Watch, the Sheriff’s Dept., and Block Captains. Crime warnings are e-mailed to Block Captains who, in turn, disseminate to Block Assistants and participating Neighborhood Watch residents. (In case of emergency, we may use phones.) This network is used in the following ways: • To alert residents of current citywide crime activity and suspicious persons. • To alert residents of crimes, missing persons (or pets) in their own area. • To alert residents of phone, Internet and other scams. • To alert residents of ALPR (Automatic License Plate Reader) activities. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN MAKING THE PROGRAM SUCCESSFUL? • GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS Your neighbors are the key people who watch over your home. Get to know them. Please give your e-mail number to your Block Captain so they can forward the Crime Bulletins to you. Neighborhood Watch e -mails only to Block Captains (always blind). We do not want nor use other residents’ e-mail. We also encourage blocks to have yearly potlucks or get-togethers and invite their Sheriff’s Deputies. • CONFIDENTIALITY We are very strict about keeping residents’ information confidential. No one, besides Block Captains and Area Coordinators, know residents’ names, addresses, phone numbers or e-mail numbers. • WATCH OUT FOR STRANGERS Report any suspicious people that are parked in your area, driving around, or knocking on your door looking for someone else or asking for work. They may be casing your neighborhood to see who is home. Make a habit of writing down descriptions of suspicious people and cars, including license plates. If you have a feeling that (E-Mail) (Phone) C-1 something doesn’t look right, please call 539-1661, your local Sheriff’s Station, and ask them to investigate. Then always notify your Block Captains so they can network to others. • PREVENT BURGLARIES AND ROBBERIES Keep all doors, windows, and garage doors locked when you are not home. Burglars steal items from open garages in 30 seconds. Keep vehicles locked at ALL times and don’t leave anything visible that you don’t want stolen. Burglars mostly want jewelry and electronics. Hide jewelry outside of your bedroom. Engrave your California Driver’s License number on electronic equipment, which better assures its return to you. • POLICY ON SOLICITORS Under a Supreme Court ruling, anyone can solicit without a permit. However, under a City Code, solicitation is not allowed at any home that displays a DO NOT DISTURB or NO SOLICITING decal (available at City Hall or from your Block Captain). Notify your Block Captain of all suspicious solicitors. • REPORT ALL CRIMES, NO MATTER HOW SMALL Sheriff Dept. computers track crimes and criminals, even parts of license plates. Unreported crimes skew the real statistics and could result in your area receiving less patrol activity than it deserves. After you notify the Sheriff’s Dept. of a crime or a suspicious activity, or if you have been a victim, notify your Block Captain immediately so that they, and the Area Coordinator in your area, can alert the other residents. Quickly reporting and networking crimes facilitates faster apprehension. • PETS, PEOPLE, INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA We will network members’ lost or found pets, children and other missing residents through our Neighborhood Watch network. We do not allow the NW network to be used for political, commercial or business advertising purposes. Our network can only be used for accurate and vetted information. We do not network NW information through social media or the Internet - mediums which are non- private, often inaccurate, and your personal information is insecure. We ask that you honor this request. IDENTITY THEFT Identity theft, along with mail thefts and package delivery thefts, are serious problems in our city. Never give out social security or other personal information over the ph one, mail, or Internet. Shred all personal documents. Get a locking mailbox. Be alert for mail theft by using public mailboxes for outgoing mail, and have a neighbor pick up your mail (or packages) when you’re gone. Never put the mailbox flag up! Many identity fraud cases start with theft of checks, bank statements and credit cards from mailboxes. VACATIONS Always notify a close neighbor or your Block Captain when you go on vacation. SUPPORT YOUR BLOCK CAPTAIN AND ASSISTANTS They are the life-blood of your Neighborhood Watch. Without them, the program dies and you will lose all contact with Neighborhood Watch and the Sheriff’s Dept. Offer to help as a Block Assistant and attend neighborhood activities. Remember, an effective neighborhood watch is one in which all neighbors contribute! Neighborhood Watch is managed by Volunteer Area Coordinators and Block Captains. The program is totally supported by voluntary, tax-deductible $5 donations, which pay for the total cost of the program including signs, office supplies, decals, meetings and educational materials. SUMMARY Building walls around our lives and our property hasn’t given us more sense of safety or peace of mind. On the other hand, people in our city have learned that tearing down wa lls and building bridges of trust between neighbors and law enforcement has greatly added to their peace of mind and quality of life. After all is said and done, it is the community and our neighborhoods working together who have made the difference in the quality and safety of our lives. Please support Neighborhood Watch! 3-21 C-2 From: To:McKenzie Bright Subject:RPV Neighborhood Watch Date:Saturday, January 29, 2022 10:13:25 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Greetings McKenzie, With thanks for recognizing Neighborhood Watch. Gail Lorenzen has been the steadfast leader of all of our NW work over the years. She keeps on top of all of the issues and writes excellent bulletins for the Block Coordinators and Block Captains to network to our neighbors. She is a pleasure to work with and always has time for questions. She is a great resource as well. Gail is a City treasure and no doubt all of us applaud her terrific volunteer work! Mary Ross Monaco NW Coordinator D-3 From:Pam Gudish To:McKenzie Bright Cc:Evie Hunter Subject:Gail Lorenzen Date:Saturday, January 29, 2022 12:23:08 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. My name is Pam Gudish. I am Block Captain for Martingale Drive and Area Coordinator for the Mustang area. I just want to thank Gail Lorenzen for all she does to keep us safe and informed. She has been working tirelessly for many years to keep Neighborhood Watch up and running in Palos Verdes and deserves our heartfelt appreciation. Pam Gudish RPV, CA. 90275 -- D-4 From:Leslie Chapin To:McKenzie Bright Cc:aysanrangchian@gmail.com; B-Shujaat Ali; E-Noel Park; F-John Spielman; F-William Quan; L-Jonothan Hofeller; V-Mohsen Saidinejad; W-Eugene and Stephanie Miyata Subject:FW: Neighborhood Watch - City Council Meeting Date:Saturday, January 29, 2022 7:34:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Dear McKenzie, My name is Les Chapin who lives on Verde Ridge Road located within our designated Pacific View Homeowners Association (PVHA) which includes a total of 345 homes that essentially surround Hesse park. Pacific View includes homes on fourteen RPV streets each with their own Neighborhood Watch (NW) block captain. I am the NW/EP Emergency Preparedness area coordinator for Pacific View and block captain for the Verde Ridge Road #2 block which includes thirty of our Verde Ridge homes. This upcoming city council meeting should certainly be in recognition of Gail Lorenzen who founded the city or RPV’s NW program in 1992. Through the many years and my involvement with the NW program I was dismayed at the city’s lack of recognition by both past city staff and city councils to Gail her husband Andy and her NW program. I include Andy because the amount of time that Gail spends on her NW program I am sure it is jointly accomplished within their household. I cannot imagine the number of hours Gail has expended and continues to expend per week supporting this city of RPV’s NW program. Despite this lack of recognition and support for many years she has never given up and has continued to hang in there until it seems finally there is to be a long delinquent recognition which she certainly deserves. If the city has an outstanding citizen award or equivalent Gail certainly deserves such an award. Gail has received many different national and other organization’s awards throughout the years. The detail and the nuances of her total program are best described by her. I know she is recognized and appreciated by the Lomita Sheriff’s station with which she has an excellent working relationship. Her program is certainly recognized as keeping our RPV crime levels at national, state and county lows. Thank you for the opportunity to offer support to Gail and her RPV NW program. Les Chapin D-5 From:Marilyn Long To:McKenzie Bright Cc:Gail & Andrew Lorenzen Subject:Neighborhood Watch Date:Monday, January 31, 2022 10:08:36 PM Attachments:Neighborhood Watch 1.31.2022.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Dear McKenzie, Thanks for your leadership role as our Public Safety Analyst for our city! You are appreciated immensely. I am happy to hear of your involvement as an advocate and partner of our Neighborhood Watch program. Attached is my email for Neighborhood Watch if you want to include it in the upcoming presentation. Unfortunately, I will not be able to join the Zoom call. Will it be recorded for future viewing? With Gratitude, Marilyn Long D-6 I am Marilyn Long, and I am a resident of Rancho Palos Verdes. I have been involved in the Neighborhood Watch program as a volunteer block captain for over 20 years. Neighborhood Watch is a program where neighbors living in the same area want to make their neighborhood safer by taking time to know our neighbors. We work together and in conjunction with the Sheriff Department to reduce crime in our neighborhood and improve our quality of life. It is a program that we started in our neighborhood because of a residential burglary that occurred. I want to give thanks and recognition to Gail Lorenzen, the Neighborhood Watch Volunteer Coordinator for Rancho Palos Verdes. She has been in this role for 30 years, working diligently as a community advocate and as a full time professional in this unpaid position. Gail devotes her precious time, energy, and effort toward fostering relationships with block captains and residents to support the Sheriff Department in reducing crimes in our community. There are also two other volunteer block captains in our area of about 83 homes. Weekly emails are sent by Gail to the block captains on crimes committed in our city. Then we email them to our neighbors, who have joined Neighborhood Watch for a mere $5 donation. If there is a residential burglary that has occurred, residents are asked to check their video cameras during a certain time frame and the sheriff’s department then gets tips and photos quickly, right after the burglary to investigate the crime. It has been both a privilege and a responsibility to be involved in the Neighborhood Watch program. To keep our neighborhoods safe and crime free, I hope all residents will enroll in it. Thank you. D-7 From:mandjcuomo@cox.net To:McKenzie Bright Subject:Neighborhood Watch - City Council Date:Thursday, February 3, 2022 12:27:24 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Dear McKenzie, I would like to express my feelings regarding “Neighborhood Watch” and how thankful we are for all the hard work that Gail Lorenzen has done and continues to do by keeping us informed of not only crime, but how to prepare for earth quakes, or important meetings we might want to attend and voice our opinion. Without Gail there would be no "Neighborhood Watch” and the city is very lucky to have her. I met Gail twenty seven years ago at a meeting to set up a our neighborhood watch program in Mira Costa Terrace (Caddington Dr /east side of the city). We were known as Enrose 1 and Enrose 2. A block captain and 3 assistant block captains on each block. I was assistant block captain for Enrose 1 for a year when Gale asked if I would be interested in the Area Coordinators job. I said yes and Gail and I worked together block by block to sign up new members. There are 233 homes and only 26 people were part of the plan at that time It took a while but we completed the job and now had 12 BC and 26 BA. Gail spent a lot of time keeping all the block lists up to date, they showed who the BC's and the BA's and the members information so we could notify our neighbors when the reports went out. I kept all of Gails Block Lists for our area in a three ring binder as AC. That was the system for many years. When we no longer received the block lists I started my own master block lists so they would always be current. I was glad I did this because whenI gave up being AC after 22 years I was able to pass the binder on to the new AC. I am still BC of Enrose 1and enjoy doing it. In 2020 my replacement moved out of state with her family after being coordinator for four years. When she left she gave be the book to pass on when we had a new coordinator. I made the updates that happened in the last four years to the masters so that I could pass every thing to the next coordinator. I am happy to say that Gail found a replacement and we now have a new coordinator and she has the tools to do her job. Back in the day (1996 thru 2002) we held a big block party every October. The Sheriff and Fire Departments were always a big hit with everyone, especially the kids. Food, Games for he kids and door prizes, I am enclosing a picture of the committee and the fire department of our last party in 2002 Sincerely, Marlene Cuomo Block Captain, Enrose 1 D-8 D-9 From:Steven Barryte To:McKenzie Bright Cc:Gail Lorenzen Subject:Starstone Dr Neighborhood Watch Date:Saturday, February 5, 2022 12:12:28 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. McKenzie Bright, I'm not planning to participate in the Council Meeting, but wanted to share a little about Starstone Dr Neighborhood Watch. Twenty-six of the twenty-seven houses on our 1-block long street are NW members. We've participate in the National Night Out (first Tuesday in August) as a dessert pot luck when not preempted by Covid-19. We visit for a few hours. The little ones really enjoyed getting to climb on a fire truck or a squad car when they're available . The adults appreciate the opportunity to get answers to their questions from Sheriff Deputies (or the Captain). The sheriffs don't seem to be offended when we ask them to take some of the desserts back to the station. The block directory (i.e., address, names, phone numbers & email addresses) has been useful when someone notices a garage door open at a "distant" neighbor's house but nobody is around or water is streaming out of a garage or a sprinkler is creating a fountain or a motion sensing security light doesn't turn on. It also is handy for letting the adjacent & across the street neighbors know when families are planning to be out of town or when someone who is out of town realizes they forgot to stop their mail or newspaper delivery or to welcome new neighbors -- there were four in the last two years. (I add the new neighbor to the directory & send the update to all members with an optional greeting message from the new neighbor.) The first (annual) Starstone Halloween Candy Exchange was on Monday, Nov 1, 2021. We had 6 or 7 families visit our driveway. Our leftover candy was out. One neighbor dropped off their excess candy. Another adult neighbor with a sweet tooth collected much of that candy. I did get one item since I am a little selective. All the candy found a good home. The best part was a new neighbor with young kids from one end of the street met the young kids of a long-time resident from the other end of the street. I was hoping that there would be adult-supervised kid bargaining candy trades, but that did not happen. I plan to do it again in 2022 but will clarify that the event is more drop off what you don't want to eat & help yourself to whatever is available. -steve barryte () D-10