Block Watch FAQs

Buying a gift card to pay someone? STOP. It’s a scam ! Gift cards are for presents they are not for payments ! It is just that simple to remember! If someone is reaching out to you by email, PayPal, Craigslist, Marketplace, Amazon, phone calls or any other means and request you get ‘gift cards’ for a payment...THIS IS A SCAM. These imposters, scammers, fakes, fraudsters are commonly requesting payment in the form of a gift card. They may start off with an email or phone call, start telling you that you have been hacked or you need some type of service they can help you with. They may appear to be concerned for you, only want what is best for you. They may claim to be from the IRS, or they can help you keep your Social Security benefits, work with you on your utility payments, pretend to be tech support for that IPAD you have, help bail out a family member in trouble, claim to be someone in the military needing money, or even threaten you with an arrest! At the end of the hook, they may try to convince you that acceptable payment is by gift cards. Remember these words…Gift cards are for presents they are not for payments…THIS IS A SCAM. If you get contacted by a scammer HANG UP the phone. They will try to call you back multiple times. BLOCK their number. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also visit the FTC website for more information on gift card scams at ftc.gov/gift cards. This card is an easy step by step reminder on how to recognize a scam, how to handle it and how to report it to the authorities. If you have any concerns or questions don’t hesitate to contact our Crime Victim Advocate Traci, at 509 625 3328.

Did you know that rental properties experience a disproportionate amount of crime compared to owner-occupied properties? Did you know that it doesn’t have to be that way? Did you know that we can help? At Spokane C.O.P.S. we want everyone to feel safe and enjoy their neighborhood, no matter where they live in our community. Everyone has that right. Did you know that if you are a rental property owner, you have certain obligations to help keep everyone safe? If you are a rental property owner or manager, keeping your properties safe and crime-free is in your best interest: · Your property will be more desirable to good tenants, so you’ll have lower time where a unit is not rented · You’ll command a higher market value · You’ll spend less money fixing damages · You’ll spend less time paying staff to deal with problem tenants · You will have far less headaches in general Being committed to fighting crime in your rental properties makes fiscal sense AND it’s the right thing to do. That’s why we have our Crime Free Rental Properties training. This training is a two-day training that brings in expert presenters and enables you, the property owner or manager, to be able to learn from these experts many ideas and concepts to fight crime. You’ll learn strategies that work, as well as pitfalls to avoid. What are the reasons you can deny someone a rental unit? What are the things you should never deny someone for? What are the tell-tale signs that you have drug issues in an apartment? How about tell-tale signs of human trafficking? Domestic violence? How do you evict someone who is causing problems legally and ethically? What information do police need and how can you best work with them to deal with issues, as well as not being held responsible yourself as the property owner? We can help answer all of those questions and more at our training. It’s a great way to learn those tips and techniques, get a chance to ask those questions you’ve always wanted answered, get the help you need, build relationships with other property owners and managers who are experiencing the same challenges you are, build a relationship with law enforcement, and, ultimately, keep your properties safer so you can have fewer issues to deal with and run a stronger, more ethical, more financially stable business. We can help! Contact us to learn more: https://www.spokanecops.org/contact

ASK YOURSELF THIS…IS CRIME FREE RENTAL PROPERTY CERTIFICATION RIGHT FOR YOU? “Are you concerned about nuisance or criminal activity in your rental community?” “Are you interested in establishing a more stable, satisfied long-term resident base?” “Would you like to provide a safe and secure environment for your residents?” If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Crime Free Rental Property Program and training is right for you! This program is honest and direct. It is solution oriented. It is designed to be easy, yet very effective in reducing the incident of crime in rental properties. Training is typically done once a year. Call the Programs Manager at 509-625-3301 for more information on how you can get your rental property involved. The Purpose of the Crime Free Rental Property Program Our Crime Free Rental Property program (CFRP) assists landlords in developing effective partnerships in a neighborhood environment, and fostering a safe, healthy, family-oriented place to live. Our purpose in training landlords and tenants is to help you develop more effective partners in our effort to keep our neighborhoods safe – free from chronic drug dealing and illegal activity. Landlords want to provide a clean, safe place to live. Most tenants want to be good neighbors and citizens. The premise of this program can bring about a better partnership between local government and community, and ultimately produce safer, more stable neighborhoods. Drug abuse, antisocial behavior, defacing and destruction of property, theft and acts of violence are all symptoms of non-functional, deteriorating neighborhoods. The Spokane Crime Free Rental Property program can be the vehicle for citizens working toward an improved quality of life. We are encouraging all responsible landlords who desire a crime-free environment to take part in this program. In addition, the CFRP program is designed to prevent tenants from abusing rental housing and disrupting neighborhoods in Spokane. This program is for anyone that owns or manages multiple single-family homes or buildings with 2 or more units and offers: structured and common rules of compliance a communication network a valuable marketing tool for property owners How the Program Works: This program calls on managers to make creative steps toward providing a clean and safe environment for citizens of Spokane. The program uses a 4-level approach to eliminate crime in single and multi-family communities, to reduce calls for police service and to foster a clean, healthier, more stable living environment. A comprehensive training program for property owners/managers CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) security requirements for participating properties Meetings with residents (minimum of 2 meetings per year) Designation of a manager/resident liaison to the nearest C.O.P.S. or S.C.O.P.E. Substation Sample Topics for Class: Topics covered in each Crime Free Rental Property training are presented by experts in each field. Introduction to the Crime Free Rental Property program Fair Housing Police Response/Relations - Working with the Police Domestic Violence - What Can Managers Do Crisis Resolution, Evictions, Landlord/Tenant Laws Gangs - Learn about gangs and how to recognize them Introduction to Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) Drugs - Warning Signs Fire Department Safety Issues Preparing the Property - Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Who Benefits from the Crime Free Rental Property Program? Most owners/managers want to rent to non-disruptive tenants. Further, renting to criminals can lead to dramatic declines in property values, severe property damage, drug raids, toxic contamination from drug labs and loss of rent during evictions and repairs and ultimately animosity between residents and owners/managers and the community at large. In contrast, participating owners/ managers reap numerous benefits from this program. Benefits may include: A stabilized, more satisfied tenant base, with increased demand for rentals. Improved property values, lower maintenance and repair costs. Improved level of personal safety for both tenants and neighbors. Peace of mind from spending less time on crisis control. Landlords tell us the course provided them with screening tips they hadn't heard before, or helped them deal successfully with tenants involved in illegal activity. Program evaluations indicate a high percentage of property managers who attend the training program plan to make changes in the way they manage their property. To date, we have conducted numerous voluntary property inspections and approved properties as “Crime Free Rental Property” locations. Call the Programs Manager at 509-625-3301 for more information on how you can get your single-family or multi-family property involved. Are you a tenant and would like to see your landlord make use of this program? Call us and we’re happy to help you get the information you need to get your landlord involved. Check out these articles, Washington Laws, and housing resources referencing the Crime Free Rental Property program and related topics: Article – CFRP Spokane's Approach to Crime Free Rental Property Article – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Article – Combating Crime Problems in Rental Property Article – Taking Action as a Manager Article – Safe Streets – Creating a Neighborhood Free from Nuisance Residential Landlord-Tenant Act

In order to be effective, your Block Watch needs to be reporting issues correctly and these forms can help!

The idea of a Block Watch is that we are teaching you what to look for and how to report it. That knowledge is what makes you and your Block Watch effective. Too often, crime is happening in front of people and they didn’t know the signs that something was happening. Or, what is even more common, is that crime is happening, people are noticing and upset….but no one is actually reporting it. The police operate off of data, so if it didn’t get reported, it didn’t happen. Here are some things to be on the watch for as a Block Watch: - Person lurking around a neighborhood who doesn’t live there and appears to have no business there (this is why you need to have a good relationship with your neighbors: so you know who belongs there). Response- If they are just standing or sitting there, just keep an eye on them. If they seem to be "casing" the neighborhood by watching neighborhood activity and taking notes, write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Call crime check 456-2233 and report what you observed. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - Door-to-door salesman who doesn’t seem legitimate, who is overly pushy, who wants to come inside your house, or who appear to be "casing” the neighborhood. Response- Write down in your log the date, time, description and the direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members and see if anyone has experienced the same , if so call crime check 456-2233. Ask if any members might have security camera footage of suspected person. - A vehicle moving noticeably slowly up and down the street, possibly “casing” the neighborhood. Response- Write down in your log the license plate, date, time, description and the direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. Ask if any members might have security camera footage of vehicle. If it becomes a pattern, contact your local C.O.P.S. shop and NRO - Someone who appears to be trying to force open a door or window to a house. Response- Call 911. Follow instructions of 911 operator. Write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - A stranger going into your neighbor’s house while they are away. Response- Call 911. Follow instructions of 911 operator. Write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - Someone carrying merchandise (tv’s, computers, bikes, etc.) in or out of a house on a regular basis, particularly late at night. Response- If you have suspicions that these is a place where the residents are hiding stolen items, write down in your log the date, time and descriptions. Call crime check, get an incident number and then call your Spokane C.O.P.S. shop and file a communication form with the NRO. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - A constant flow of traffic to a house at all hours. Response- If you have suspicions that this is a drug house, write down in your log the date, time and descriptions of all suspicious occurrences. License plates are valuable information if you can document them in a completely safe manner. Use your communication tree to ask BW members to also keep a watch on this house. Watch for actual drug transactions, people using drugs, bad odors that could indicate the manufacturing of drugs, and any suspicious activity that are indicators that this is a drug house. Please understand that people visiting people is not a crime. A house having a lot of visitors is not necessarily an indicator of drugs. People coming and leaving within a 5-10 minute span is an indicator. Whenever any BW members sees suspicious activity at this house call crime check, get an incident number and then use your communication tree to inform BW members. For suspected drugs houses, the BW should involve their Spokane C.O.P.S. shop and the NRO. We advise that you have a meeting as a group with the NRO and discuss how to move forward to remediate the problem. Other ways to affect change regarding this problem house is to report any fighting, noise violations and any other suspicious activity outside of drug activities. - A stranger offering candy or gifts to a child, or otherwise trying to coerce the child to come with them. Response- Call 911. Follow instructions of 911 operator. Write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - A person showing signs of being in a state of intoxication or impairment through drugs or alcohol. Write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - Someone who is tampering with a vehicle including the following actions but not limited to: peering into vehicles, or checking to see if they are locked, trying to force open a door or window, tampering with the door or hood, attempting to open the door with a hanger or similar device Response- Call 911. Follow instructions of 911 operator. Write down in your log the date, time, description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. - A vehicle that appears abandoned or is parked in a noticeably “sloppy” manner (could be a stolen vehicle left in a hurry). Response- First step is to call crime check, give the the plate number and ask if this car has been reported as a stolen vehicle. If not, give the car the 72 hour legal parking on street time period and then call this in to your local C.O.P.S. shop. We need make, model, license plate, condition and exact location of vehicle. Please be aware that the process to remove abandoned vehicles could take as long as six weeks. - A light on in a house you know to be vacant or abandoned. Response- Call Crime Check Write down in your log the date and time. If you see anyone in the house, write down description and if they walk off, which direction they went. Use your communication tree to notify BW members. If this is frequent issue with this house, the BW group needs to discuss it and get the NRO involved. How to document suspicious activity Details are the key. Day, time, location. Names if you know them. Descriptions of vehicles (make, model, appx. year, color) Condition of vehicle (any damage) Type of vehicle (truck, car, SUV etc...) License plate number Description of people involved Sex, race, appx. age, clothing, hair, any distingushing features or mannerisms. Describe exactly what you saw or heard.

First of all, Block Watch groups are encouraged to have a closed social media page, have each other’s phone numbers for calls or text messages, or use whatever method makes most sense to get in contact with each other. Block Watches are only effective when people discuss issues and inform each other of what is happening on their block. Another benefit of a Block Watch is you can easily work with your neighborhood C.O.P.S. Shop and the Neighborhood Resource Officer to We suggest getting the Spokane C.O.P.S. shop and your area's Neighborhood Resource Officer involved. How does Block Watch help to shut down Drug activity & Drug houses? Many eyes watching for drug activity and many voices reporting drug activity provide the police the information needed to start a serious investigation. Block Watch members will be trained how to watch for, document and how to report suspicious drug activity. Block Watch members will be provided with a form where they can record dates, times and descriptions of what is happening. Too often, only one person is reporting issues, and often times not even that: everyone sees what is going on but no one actually reports it. The more people that report in with information, the more likely you are to get a response. How does a Block Watch help shut down chronic nuisance houses on my street? It is not illegal to be obnoxious or to be an unfriendly neighbor. However, it is against the law to be a chronic nuisance causing repeated public disturbances, issuing threats, repeated noise ordinance violations, repeated police activity and serious city code violations that devalue the neighborhood and that the owners refuse to remedy. Block Watch members can record dates, times and descriptions of what is happening. By collectively documenting issues, NROs (Neighborhood Resource Officers) can get involved and use the data to issue fines and potentially even pursue abatement. But it takes everyone on the street getting involved and reporting issues correctly, and Block Watch helps with that. How does a Block Watch help shut down gang activity on my street? There is help if you have gangs on your street. Just like many other criminal activities, the police need lots of information to help them to deal with the gang activities. The first step for a Block Watch group in dealing with gang activity is to learn about the gangs and what resources the city has to deal with them. As a Block Watch group you can request meetings with law enforcement officers that specialize in gang activity. These officers work with your area’s NRO are a great resource for you. The gang unit officers can teach you what to look for that indicate you have gangs: specific graffiti, clothing, etc. Block Watch members can then record dates, times, pictures (when safe) and descriptions of what is happening. ​​These reports can be sent to the gang unit and the NRO. How does Block Watch help to stop car prowling on my street? What thieves and car prowlers try to avoid is to be seen. They do not want their descriptions and pictures distributed around the neighborhood or given to the police. Each Block Watch member will have signage letting criminals know that their cars are being watched by other Block Watch members. In an effective Block Watch group, you are going to know who your neighbors are and when something suspicious is going on at their place. When we see suspicious activity, we call 911 and then the neighbor where the activity is taking place. We then start the phone tree to alert the entire street. Block Watch members share security camera footage to help catch criminals. Block watch members are taught how to keep their vehicles safer from break-ins. How does Block Watch help to stop property theft on my street? Spokane C.O.P.S. has a program called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design where we come to your home and advise you on how to make your property more secure through measures such as lighting, landscape design, etc. We want all Block watch members to take advantage of this program, as it is a proven deterrent for crime. We urge all Block Watch groups to do a neighborhood safety survey where they can discuss ways that each home could be safer from theft. The very premise of Block Watch where we watch out for each other and give warnings when suspicious people are in the area helps to catch thieves. How does Block Watch help to slow down speeders on my street? If you have a speeding problem on your street the best remedy is many voices contacting the SPD Traffic unit and the city for solutions. That is what Block Watch is, many voices working together to make their street safer. How does Block Watch help to remove illegally parked RVs from my street? First of all, as Block Watch members you will be educated as to what the laws are concerning RVs in the city. When your Block Watch members notify each other to an RV parked illegally on the street, many eyes can keep an eye on it. If the people in the RV are creating a nuisance with trash, drugs or causing a public disturbance you will have multiple reports made to your NRO and to the City. While it is against city code to live in an RV on the city streets, getting the city to remove them can often happen much more quickly if we have many people reporting what is happening. How does Block Watch help to remove abandoned and junk cars from my street? Often a car suddenly appears parked on the street and the residents do not know who it belongs to. They are often hesitant to report it because it might belong to a neighbor. With Block Watch you will most likely be communicating with your neighbors and you will know whose car it is or if it was dumped there. This helps you to get it reported and moved more quickly. How does Block Watch help to get trash and a junk filled property cleaned up on my street? As a Block Watch group, we suggest that as a group they walk through the neighborhood and identify the problem areas. If possible, we urge that they contact the property owner(s) and if feasible, offer to help clean up the property. If this is a chronic problem house where efforts have already been made to communicate with the Homeowner(s), the group may choose to just report the violations. How does Block Watch help to stop unauthorized commercial businesses from operating on my residential street? Some types of businesses are not allowed to operate in residential zones for very good reasons. These include excessive and frequent noise, dust, smoke, odor, or electrical interference. Businesses that create parking and traffic issues are not allowed. When a property owner runs a business that creates these problems the Block Watch group can discuss what is going on and request to meet with someone from Code Enforcement to discuss it and explore options to deal with it. How does Block Watch help to stop people from leaving trash in our streets and alleys? As a Block watch group, you will be educated in ways to make your properties less attractive as places where people will dump trash by having effective security measures and effective signage. When Block Watch members see suspicious vehicles dumping trash, they will communicate this with their neighbors as well as to the neighborhood C.O.P.S. shops. How does Block Watch keep our children safer? Getting drug and nuisance houses off of the street will absolutely make the street safer for kids. Block watch members watch for suspicious people, reporting them to police and warning other Block Watch members. Block Watch members will help keep drug users out of our parks and play areas. They also report speeders, keeping gang activity away and ridding the streets of junk cars and trash.

If you are starting to see the advantages of a Block Watch, it might be time to get one in your neighborhood. Here’s what to do: 1) The Block Watch rep will need to apply. Go to www.spokanecops.org/volunteer . At the bottom of the page, click on “Block Watch Application.” You can fill out the application online in just a few minutes. 2) Once you have applied, the approval process takes a day or two. Upon approval, we will reach out to you and get you a Block Watch packet that has information and forms that you might want. We will also get you in contact with your neighborhood COPS shop. 3) We will call you to discuss what problems are in your area that you are hoping to address with your Block Watch and answer any other questions you might have. 4) Round up all neighbors and decide on a time and date for a meeting. We can do the meeting at someone’s house, at a COPS shop, or any other location. You can create a flier to invite neighbors, click here for some templates. Let your COPS shop know when and where this meeting will be. 5) COPS staff, shop volunteers, your NRO, and other relevant persons will be there for the meeting. We will lead the meeting and tell everyone about Block Watch, how it works, and begin devising a plan to deal with the most pressing issues. We’ll go over the reporting paperwork that neighbors will need to document issues and empower everyone to help get results. We’ll also cover things like suspicious activity, code violations, etc., and how to report those things, as well as discussing methods of communication for the group. We’ll even cover some of our other programs like Safe Streets, Neighborhood Observation Patrol, and other programs that are available. And remember, the more people who are present and participate in this process, the faster you will get results, as a general rule. 6) Your neighborhood COPS shop will stay in contact with you and set up more follow up meetings if/as needed.

How does your neighborhood look? How does it feel? Do you feel like you can let your kids play outside? Do you feel like your personal property is safe? Hopefully, you feel good about where you live. Hopefully, you have a strong sense of community on your block and don’t feel you need to worry too much about crime. But what if that isn’t the case? Is there a house that you think is a drug house? Are you seeing an influx of car prowls? Are cars coming down your street too fast to be safe for kids outside? What about houses with graffiti, garbage on the lawn, and abandoned cars out front? If you have problems or concerns in your area, we can help! A good Block Watch can fix more problems than you might think. Remember, crime has two aspects: the crime itself and the damage that causes, and fear caused by crime. And often, it’s the fear that is the bigger issue. The idea behind Block Watch is really twofold. First, we want to train you up on identifying problems and what to do about them. That house that you believe to be selling drugs. What can you do to deal with it? How do you report that? What information should you be getting? And who do you give it to? Or, if your neighborhood is getting hit with car prowls, how do you fight back against that? Are there tricks to keeping your car safer? Can you get more police presence? Are there ways to discourage prowlers from coming down your street? Whatever the issue is that you and your neighbors are concerned about, we can help. We will meet with you and your neighbors and find out what your concerns are. We’ll listen to YOU. Then, we’ll help you start dealing with those problems. We’ll get you in contact with people who deal specifically with those issues you are seeing – the right city official, the right police officer, whoever it might be. We’ll help you come up with a solid plan to deal with those issues. We can get you and your neighbors working together and educated so you can make your neighborhood safe again. And that brings up the second main thing that a Block Watch can accomplish: a sense of community. As mentioned, often it is the fear of crime that is worse than the crime itself. It’s that sense of not being able to sleep well at night because of concerns for safety, of constantly feeling like you have to guard your property, all of those things that lower your quality of life. Once you have a good Block Watch and you start to learn how to combat the issues you are seeing, and you start to develop good relationships with your neighbors, you will find that your fear begins to go away. When you have a handle on those issues, when you know your neighbors are looking out for you and you’re looking out for them, you’ll begin to enjoy your neighborhood again. Just like you should. Let us help! Contact the COPS main office or your neighborhood COPS shop for assistance.