The Canyon Lake POA kicked off its pilot Neighborhood Watch Program, beginning with community members who live on Old Wrangler Road.
Held on November 16, the meeting took place in a resident’s home and was attended by two sheriff’s deputies, two POA directors, two members of the POA Security Advisory Committee, and more than 20 residents.
The group discussed the POA’s Camera Program, crime, how residents can protect themselves, Community Patrol statistics, and the responsibilities of Community Patrol versus the responsibilities of law enforcement. The informal meeting also included a potluck and residents exchanging contact information.
The group will meet on a quarterly basis to share information and build community and trust among those in the neighborhood. If this pilot program proves to be a success, the POA plans to expand the program to other neighborhoods in Canyon Lake.
“The POA is very thankful for the Security Advisory Committee bringing this program forward and to fruition,” POA President Bill Van Vleet said. “It represents a real partnership between the POA, city, sheriff’s department, and the community. We look forward to leveraging the experience and the lessons learned to expand the program in the future throughout Canyon Lake.”
The POA encourages all Canyon Lake residents who own and operate personal surveillance systems, including doorbell cameras, to sign up for its Camera Program. By signing up for this program, residents are added to a list that may be quickly referenced to identify nearby cameras that may have captured criminal activity. Residents are only contacted by the POA and/or law enforcement to request permission to view the resident’s camera footage if there is a criminal incident near their security camera.
Residents are not giving the POA or law enforcement access to their systems or footage, but instead agreeing to be contacted if they have a camera that may have been in the vicinity of a criminal incident. Providing any camera footage is strictly voluntary.
Information provided to the POA regarding a resident’s camera system will be used for official use only. Personal information will remain confidential and not be distributed. To sign up for the POA’s Camera Program, visit www.canyonlakepoa.com/cameras.
