September 2007 Newsletter – Special Crime-Busting Issue

1. September 2007 Newsletter – Special Crime-Busting Issue OFFICERS Wanda Tabor – President Kelley Stennis – Secretary David Dwiggins – Treasurer CANA MISSION STATEMENT To maintain and improve the dignity and integrity of the homes in the Colonial Acres neighborhood, to preserve the residential quality of the area, to ensure orderly and compatible land use in the area, to encourage homeowners living in the area to improve their homes, to encourage real estate investors with property in the area to improve their holdings, and to work together on problems and issues of common concern. MEETINGS HELD Every Fourth Thursday of the month (except August, November, December) Colonial Baptist Church Fellowship Hall 1503 Colonial (at Quince) 7:00 PM CANA Crime Watch National Night Out Four years ago, a Colonial Acres resident established what has become a regular on-line crimewatch e-mail notification ring. It has grown to 360 recipients (to date) due to its popularity. This service operates at no charge to residents, who receive e-mail via blind carbon copy. During the week e-mail blasts are sent out to everyone on the list as soon as a crime is reported in our neighborhood. These messages include notices of suspicious cars, suspect descriptions, break-ins, thefts, and area crime statistics. Other messages include general announcements of interest to neighborhood residents, such as the status of the Harding Academy campus, Harrah’s property, and infill developments. To be included on this e-mail notification list, simply send a message to dyawn@memphisdailynews.com. NNO 2007 was held on Tuesday night, August 7, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, located on Willow Road. By all accounts it was a great success, with at least 100 people in attendance. Ron Buck and David Dwiggins manned the grills out in the blistering summer heat, staying on duty until the supply of hot dogs and hamburgers had completely run out. Kids enjoyed sharing bicycle tips with members of the Memphis Police bicycle patrol squad, as well as learning how to operate the fire hose courtesy of the firemen who had brought their engine from Fire Station 25. Fourteen new members signed up to join CANA, but more importantly we had fun, learned more about each other and our neighborhood, and shared ideas about how to form neighborhood watch organizations and what we can do to make our area a safer place to live. By getting together on a regular basis like this, we can serve notice that criminals and their activity are not welcome in our neighborhood. Remember, together we can make a difference! See what’s inside this special crime-busting issue: Anti-Crime Tips Page 2 Area Crime Statistics Page 2 Report on Recent Criminal Attacks Page 3 Important Numbers to have on hand Page 4 Visit CANA’s website at www.colonialacres.org

2. CANA CONCERNS AND COMMENTS Help Prevent Crime! • Here are some tips you can use to tell burglars and other criminals to stay away from our homes: • Leave your outside lights on at night. If you are concerned about the expense or excess use of energy, consider purchasing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 70% less power to provide the same amount of light (lumens) and last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. CFLs are more expensive to purchase, but cost only pennies per night to operate. • Install security doors. This involves a fairly large expense, but in considering the value of your lives and property they are well worth it. Security doors can’t guarantee your house will not be broken into, but they make your home less of a target because they provide a greater deterrent. • Install an alarm system. Installation costs vary with different companies, as do monthly service charges (typically $10-$30 per month), but again burglars are less likely to target your house if it has an active alarm system and a sign in the front yard informing them of it. • Show some activity. Create the illusion that you are at home and up and about by using timers on lights, radios, and televisions. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is at home, will also deter criminals. • Use your car as a burglar alarm. If you have a panic button for your car alarm, put your car keys beside your bed at night. Then, if you hear a noise outside, first call the police and then press the panic button for your car. It is also a good idea to keep your cell phone by your bed and left on all night, since it is usually much easier to find in the dark than a regular phone. • More good tips are available from the National Burglary Prevention Council, online at burglarlyprevention.org. Special thanks to the Safety and Neighborhood Watch Committee for providing us with information on crime in our area and what we can do to help prevent it. Crime Tracker Report: 24 May – 23 August 2007 Most Frequent Streets · Park Avenue (41) · Quince Road (32) · Colonial Road (23) Number of Crime Incidents · Theft from Motor Vehicle (170) · Shoplifting/Misdemeanor (85) · Vandalism/Misdemeanor (78) · Burglary/Residential (73) · OtherTheft/Non-Specific (55) Source: memphiscrimetracker.com (The Commericial Appeal) CANA History Section: What’s Up With the Torpedo? Area residents have surely noticed the “torpedo” sticking out of the front yard of a home on Colonial Road. Actually, it is a river buoy – you know, a channel marker used as an aid in navigating the Mississippi River. One day in the early 1970’s, William (Bill) Parker and his son Randy were out on the river fishing, when they came across the buoy which had become stuck in some logs on a sand bar. Mr. Parker could not pass it up, and with great effort he managed to bring it home, after which he set it in his front yard. When asked by neighbors, he claimed that he was always missing his driveway when coming down Colonial, and, well, that’ll never happen again. He used to enjoy sitting on his front porch, watching people’s expressions as they drove by his house. It actually serves a useful purpose – they painted their house number on it. Mr. Parker passed away in 1988, but the buoy remains as a tribute (of sorts), in memory of the “River Rat”. Editor’s note: a picture of the buoy appeared in a recent issue of Memphis Magazine.

3. PINK A BLUE A PINK B BLUE B GREEN A ORANGE GREEN B MAIL DUES TO: CANA Treasurer PO Box 240033 Memphis TN 38124 – 0033 Meeting Minutes and Other News CANA Officers for 2007-2008 were elected at the July meeting. Wanda Tabor returns as President, Kelley Stennis will continue her excellent work as Secretary, and David Dwiggins has agreed to serve as Treasurer for a year. The position of Vice President remains open, and we are seeking a volunteer to serve in this position. There was no meeting in August, and our next meeting is Thursday, September 27, 7:00 p.m. at Colonial Baptist. Our guest speakers that evening will be officers from the Mt Moriah police precinct to report on recent crime activity in our neighborhood. The precinct has also reported they are increasing patrols in our area; you may have noticed their presence has been more visible in recent weeks. And we have just learned that Wanda has been appointed by the precinct as the new Colonial Acres Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, which means we will now have even better access to information and resources to aid us all in our fight against criminals and crime. In Memoriam – Richard Green It is with sadness that we report Rick Green passed away on Monday, September 3. He was hit by a motor vehicle on Saturday, August 25, after taking photos of a car at a neighbor’s house. For some time Rick had suspected drug dealing activities were taking place within the house. Rick spent four days at the Med, and was then released but died a few days later at home. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested and charged with both Vehicular Homicide and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Death. Information concerning this incident was aired on Fox 13 News. You may view the video they aired by going to CANA’s website, colonialacres.org, where a link to the video has been posted on the Discussion Forum. Rick leaves his wife, Cynthia, three sons, two daughters, a brother, two sisters, and ten grandchildren. Any cards or donations may be sent to Cynthia and family using this address: CANA – Green Family, P.O. Box 240033, Memphis TN 38124-0033 Please keep the Green family in your thoughts and prayers. Where is Colonial Acres? The Colonial Acres Neighborhood Association represents residents living within the area bounded by Park Avenue on the north, Cherry Road on the west, Mt Moriah on the east, and I-240 on the south. As indicated in the map at right, CANA has been subdivided into seven colored zones, with the pink and blue zones north of Quince Road and the blue and orange zones east of Colonial Road. Close to 3,800 residents live in this neighborhood area. Have you Paid your 2007 Dues? (Calendar Year January 2007 – January 2008) Our Annual Dues are only $10 per household – the lowest in Memphis! Please print clearly. Name Address Telephone (Hm) (Wk) EMail Address

4. Please support our localCANA business members: The Wine Market Rite Aid Park Avenue BP New Hong Kong Restaurant Baker’s Furniture Cooper’s Neighborhood Grocery Dan West Garden Center Eastgate Cleaners Tasty Cream Donuts Easy Way Market Super-Lo Foods The UPS Store Our Local Realtors PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Memphis, TN Permit No. 2711 CANA P. O. Box 240033 Memphis TN 38124-0033 Important Telephone Numbers to have on hand Auto Theft 545-5210 Burglary 543-2710 Robbery 545-3995 Gangs 323-1997 Organized Crime 528-2338 Economic Crime 545-5358 Domestic Violence 545-3052 Homicide 545-5325 Homeland Security 354-5595 Code Enforcement 576-7380 Communications 543-2710 Metro DUI Squad 867-1462 K-9 Unit 458-2112 Property and Evidence: 545-2633 Crime Scene Investigation: 353-8354 Blue Crush: 323-1976 Uniformed Patrol: 795-3131 Attorney General, Criminal Law: 545-5900 Contact Info: CANA, P.O. Box 240033, Memphis TN Telephone Number under construction E-mail canacodes@bellsouth.net Newsletter Editor: D. P. Dwiggins, admin@dpdsdogs.com The CANA Newsletter is published four times a year, alternating between a mailed distribution to all paid members and a general distribution to all 3,800 residents.