Phone Tree Information

Just a quick note about our phone tree. Its purpose is to enable us to contact one another in the case of an emergency or other urgent matters. Oftentimes the police will not respond to a low priority calls unless at least 3 people call in so that is another reason to have this in place. As Don mentioned at the meeting the city is statistic-driven so the more we all call the more attention we get, the more funding we get, the more effective we can be.

By the way, one of our block captains reported this week that a drug house got closed down on their block so we are getting results just by talking to one another, keeping our eyes and ears open, keeping records, and calling the appropriate authorities.

We Have Power in Numbers!
In case you do not know, this is how calls receive priority:

Critical-Immediate (Crimes in progress, serious threat to life---Stabbing, shooting, officer down, armed robbery, injured persons)

First Priority (Crimes in progress, Prevention of casualty, probability of apprehension---alarms, physical altercations, injury accidents, suspicious persons, vehicle prowlers)

Immediate Dispatch (threat of violence or injury---physical disturbances, verbal disputes, threats, some property crimes)

Prompt Dispatch (minor thefts, vandalism, violation of court orders, non-violent crime, suspicious activity)

Non-Emergency/Nuisance Complaints (Noise, parties, minor disturbances, disorderly conduct)

If someone on your block has already volunteered to work on the phone tree you could still help with another block. Or you could assist the person who has already started working on it.

When working on this phone tree (we need names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails), it is important to approach the people you know and feel comfortable talking to. Do not put yourself in danger by going alone to knock on doors of people you do not know. Always take a partner with you.

We want to be non-combative, non-confrontational, pro-active, and neighborly in our approach.

Another way to help (again if you feel comfortable) would be to pass out invitation flyers for the next meeting at the same time you work on the phone tree.

If you think about the concept of six degrees of separation, the impact you, as one individual, can have is tremendous!

(Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.)

We are ALL busy, but by helping just as much or as little as you feel comfortable you have the ability to impact the synergy we are creating in our neighborhood.


syn·er·gy
1. The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.


I also need help calling people on the phone who did not provide an email address but who came to the neighborhood meeting. We need to determine their level of interest and concern and ask if they are willing to help in any little way at all.

Please, let me know what you are willing to do. You are ALL VIP’s on this team and you are ALL the MVP’s. If we work cooperatively we can accomplish so much more.


Submitted August 16, 2008 by Lena T.