Neighborhood Watch Meeting & Safety Advisor SpeakerSeptember 10th, 2026
Chairwoman Andrea O, opened the meeting with block captain role call and area identification; ten of 12 block captains were in attendance. Next was incident reporting, this month there were two:
On September 9th, an unhoused man was seen stealing a bicycle near the front, west side of the park
around 9:00 a.m. A KL manager and resident nearby were able to retrieve the bike without incident.
An unhoused man confronted a resident as she arrived home from walking her dog at 1:00 a.m. in the
morning on the west side of the park. He asked if he could walk through her space and jump over the
perimeter fence that parallels the 805 north freeway. She denied him access and he walked away.
After incident report sharing, Mark Powell, public safety expert and former reserve police officer, was
introduced.
Mark made us aware that neighborhood watch was formed in the 70s by Jerry Sanders. He started
a program called “COPS” Community Oriented Policing Support. This early group of residents were to
be the “eyes and ears” of their neighborhoods, reporting and supporting each other. Today, our District
(6) has 50 NW programs.
Mark explained the most recent tech scams to be aware of: 1) A “voice cloning scam” (or,
“virtual ransom” scam) uses artificial intelligence to copy a relative's voice and trick you into paying a
fake ransom for an emergency. 2) “Tech support scam”: a pop-up message on your computer screen that
says it has been infected and you need to call the phone number displayed. The fake technician will gain
remote access to your computer to steal personal data or charge you huge fees to fix it. Another recent
phone scam is a caller pretending to be from the fraud department at your bank from your banks correct
phone #. The scammer states there has been unauthorized charges/fraud on your account and asks you to
verify your personal information. Then they access your bank account and steal your money. If you get a
call like this, do not give them any information, hang up and call your bank directly.
Mark encouraged the park to have clear recording security cameras pointed at all entrances of the park. He also suggested that each resident install motion detector lights and a ring camera at multiple home entrances. This can dissuade trespassers and porch pirates (thieves) from entering the home space. It can also provide video evidence of an incident and listed a few neighborhood apps to join in order to spread the news of perpetrators and certain incidents or scams happening in our area. For physical safety he encouraged a pepper spray keychain and recommended implementing the buddy system when walking to your car or onto the street.
Mark also encouraged any San Diego citizen to experience ride-alongs with police officers. Not only does this offer much needed encouragement to our officers, but it strengthens community relations with SDPD and gives residents a much needed perspective on our neighborhood and the job our officers do. He spoke about the homelessness in our area, mentioning that most of them are armed and that the potential for fire in the canyon is high due to all their cooking fires. This segued into evacuation plans. Do block captains know who lives alone? Who is ambulatory or not? If they have cell phones or who is on medication that would impede them from getting out of their house independently and safely? Do they have transportation? He commented that prepared and organized NW captains are extremely useful in an emergency. He suggested residents call 211 for Community news and resources on preparedness, definitely during an emergency.
Call 211 for SD community resources related to:
Food Assistance
Housing & Utilities
Disaster Assistance
Transportation
Health
Nutrition Services
Enrollment Services
Visit readysandiego.org/make-a-plan from SD County emergency health relief & primary and disaster services such as prevention, financial & legal care, military & veteran services to office. View the full 48-page Personal Disaster Plan.
Next neighborhood watch meeting is Thursday Nov 12, 6pm in the clubhouse.
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