Community Issues
Neighborhood Watch
An active Neighborhood Watch program is one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent burglaries and vandalism. Contact Marie Warner (301-924-2281), AGWG's Coordinator, or your Block Captain to find out how you can get involved.
Need to report an incident? Here's how.
More information on keeping our neigborhoods safe can be found on the Residential Security page.
AGWG's Block Captains met on February 22 to discuss strategies to extend the program throughout the community. The team will deliver a flyer to every resident within AGWG boundaries describing how Neighborhood Watch works, including a log of incidents since 2008. Officer Hidayat, Community Relations Officer for the 4th District, reviewed the tips covered in the Basic Training session offered in September.
Officer Hidayat encourages residents to report all suspicious activity immediately to the non-emergency number (301-279-8000), and to ask for the incident number. Then you can get details on the police response by calling back and asking for the disposition of incident number (x).
Montgomery County Police Links, Tips, and Procedures
These Acrobat PDF files were distributed at AGWG's Neighborhood Watch meeting on a portable flash drive, and we provide them here for your convenience. See the Adobe Download site if you need Acrobat Reader.- 4th District Website link
- Check On Patrol Request Form (English)
- Check On Patrol Request Form (Spanish)
- Crime Statistics for Citizens link
- Disaster Preparedness for Your Pet
- DPC Emergency Preparedness at Home
- DPC Emergency Preparedness on the Job
- GPS Theft Article and Tips
- Mid-County Service Center link
- State of Maryland General Preparedness Recommendations link
- Street Lights Out of Service in Montgomery County
- Theft from Vehicle Tips
- Uniform Trespass Notice
- When to Call the Police
Observational Training
Sgt. Lauryn MacNeill conducted an excellent training session on observational skills at Park Police Headquarters on December 9th. She showed the attendees a series of slides, then called upon individuals in the audience to report what they had seen. In most cases, critical details that would be helpful to the police were overlooked, like height and general decription of those engaging in suspicious behavior, make and model of car, etc.Basic Training
Officer Hidayat, Community Relations Officer for the 4th District, Montgomery County Police, offered basic Neighborhood Watch training on September 24th at Oak Chapel.As a result of the large turnout, Officer Hidayat will arrange for installation of additional Neighborhood Watch signs, will facilitate the repair of street lights, and has assured us that we are eligible for additional police resources.
Officer Hidayat recommended the following practices of other successful District 4 Neighborhood Watch programs:
- Increase the visibility of the program by encouraging all walkers to wear AGWG Watch vests when they walk or jog in the neighborhood
- Report suspicious individuals, groups, or vehicles to the police non-emergency number as soon as they are observed
- Call the police immediately if you hear a knock at the door, but find no one there when you open it
- Stop your mail and newspaper when your are out of town, or ask a neighbor to pick them up for you
- If a neighbor has an accumulation of papers in the driveway, pick them up until they return
- Notify the neighbor on either side of your home when you will be out of town, and ask them to contact the police immediately if they see suspicious activity around your house
- Tell your neighbors what vehicles "belong" to your house, and tell them if they should alert the police if they see strange vehicles in your driveway
- Lock your car each and every time you leave it, and do not leave enticing valuables visible to passersby
- Turn exterior lighting on at night
- Keep garage doors closed at all times
- Install an alarm system
- Post a "Beware of Dog" sign, regardless of whether you own a dog
- Trim shrubs higher than sill level at all windows; they provide an easy entry into your home for enterprising teens
- Organize weekly Neighborhood Watch patrols, splitting walkers into groups, with all walkers meeting at the mid-point of the community (patrol day changes each week, so intruders will never know when patrols might occur)
- Encourage Neighborhood Watch patrols or the Association (through email) to contact homeowners who are inviting crime into the neighborhood (e.g., unlocked cars with valuables clearly visible inside, open garage doors, backlog of newspapers in the driveway)
Contact AGWG's Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Marie Warner, or your Block Captain for more information, or to volunteer for the program.
Block Captain Assignments
Block Captains communicate information between the Coordinator and residents on their blocks. Captains also maintain a list of participants, distribute materials, and forward incident reports to the Coordinator. If your AGWG "territory" still lacks a Block Captain, please step forward to volunteer for this worthwhile effort. Contact Marie to volunteer.| Block | Captain | |
| Baughman Drive and Baughman Court | Henry Males (301-598-6306) |
Henry.Males@comcast.net |
| Campfire Court and Coffeewood Court | Marie Warner (301-924-2281) |
warnerjm@yahoo.com |
| Drury Road | Gertie Mercer (301-598-7012) |
GertiMercer@comcast.net |
| Drury Road and Norbeck Road | Chuck Philipp (301-924-2354) |
chuck.philipp@his.com |
| Flint Hill Road | Tom Keepers (301-598-8825) |
TomGKeepers@gmail.com |
| Gayfields Drive | Steve Bellairs (301-598-5280) |
cmbellairs@verizon.net |
| Gilpin Road | Bobbie MacDonald (301-598-4544) |
dimacdonald@verizon.net |
| Layhill Road | Volunteer Needed | |
| Longmead Road | Greg Marsh (301-438-9729) |
therareone@yahoo.com |
| Marymont Road | ||
| -from 2010 westward | Skip Schnapp (301-598-3714) |
sschnapp5@verizon.net |
| -from 2012 to Layhill | John Wright (301-598-6133) |
JohnR.Wright@verizon.net |
| Merrifields Drive | ||
| -from Layhill Rd though Merrifields Court | Kathe McBeth (301-598-8733) |
KatheMcbeth@yahoo.com |
| -from Merrifields Court to Tierra | Joan Donoghue | Joan.Donoghue@gmail.com |
| - from Tierra to 2042 Merrifields | Mike Godown (301-438-0797) |
mgmktg@comcast.net |
| - from 2044-2100 to Gaywoods Court | Hope Kabik (301-438-7386) |
HopeAndBrett@verizon.net |
| -from Marymont through Gaywoods Court | Nicole McGinn 301-438-8079 |
NicoleMcGinn@verizon.net |
| Merrifields Lane | Volunteer needed | |
| Morningmist Drive & Morningmist Lane | Mike McElroy (301-438-3640) |
Michael_Mcelroy@hotmail.com |
| Norvale Road | Alice Friedman (301-598-1818) |
icuflying@AOL.com |
| Tierra Drive | ||
| -from Merrifields Drive to Marymont Road | Alex Kronemer (301-438-3329) |
alex@upf.tv |
| -from Marymont Road to Drury Road | Joan Terrell (301-598-7793) |
jtroyal@verizon.com |
| Woods Center Road | Vivienne Patton (301-924-4988) |
vivpatton@gmail.com |
How to Report an Incident
You can make your community safer by sharing information on incidents of crime or suspicious activity with your Block Captain after you report it to the Montgomery County Police. Ideally, you'll pass along all (or most) of the following:- Date and nature of the incident
- If a report was taken
- If an officer was dispatched
- If fingerprints were taken
- The incident number (available at the time the report is made to the police)
- The case number (if the police assigns one)
- Telephone number used (911 or non-emergency 301-279-8000)
Discount Security Lighting
Exterior lighting can help to deter nighttime vandalism and home break ins. Residents are encouraged to keep porch, patio and driveway lights on overnight, or to install motion-activated security lighting.Two local companies have agreed to discount their normal rates for AGWG residents who would like to replace an existing, ground level light with a motion-activated security light: $95 to install a home owner-supplied light, or $135 to install a contractor-supplied fixture.
To take advantage of this offer, call Your Electricians at 301-977-7375 or Ultimate Electric at 301-384-8321.
Walkers Wanted!
Two reflective vests labeled "AGWG Watch" were given to each Block Captain, who were asked to distribute them to walkers and joggers who are out most frequently and at various times. If you are willing to wear a vest either regularly or occasionally, and be observant of unusual, suspicious, and reportable activities while strolling the neighborhood, please contact your Block Captain or Marie Warner.Announcement Archive
September '09
Officer Hidayat, Community Relations Officer for the 4th District, Montgomery County Police, will be providing basic Neighborhood Watch training for our community at 7:00 pm, Thursday, September 24th, at Oak Chapel. This training is open to all residents of the Allanwood, Gayfields, Willson Hills, and Gaywood Estates communities. The theme of the training will be how you each can be the eyes and ears of your community while simply going about your normal day-to-day activities. You will also have the opportunity to learn how you can deter crime and vandalism against your residence, personal property, and family members.
August '09
Our AGWG Neighborhood Watch organization is based on having Block Captains who will coordinate with a small number of adjacent homes. The Neighborhood Watch will simply not work as well in areas of the community where there is not a Block Captain. Block Captains are still needed the following areas:
- Norvale and Gilpin
- Gayfields
- Merrifields Drive from Marymont to Merrifields La.
- Merrifields Drive from Merrifields La. to Tierra
- Tierra from Marymont to Drury
- Drury
- Marymont from Tierra to Layhill
Summer '09
Block captains have been identified with the exception of a few streets. Reflective vests bearing the AGWG Neighborhood Watch logo are being distributed now. After block captains attend training by the Montgomery County police, the Neighborhood Watch team will reach out to all residents to get the program rolling.
April '09
A Neighborhood Watch organizational meeting was held at 7 pm April 13 at Oak Chapel. The purpose of the first meeting is to discuss, at a working level, the following:
- Implementation & Organization of the AGWG Neighborhood Watch
- Roles and responsibilities
- "Block" organizations
- Walking Patrols
- Riding Patrols
- Any additional safety concerns
February '09
Alan Stonebraker agreed to serve as Coordinator of AGWG's Neighborhood Watch Program at the February board meeting. Residents who have expressed interest in participating in this program will be contacted before the Spring meeting.
The Commander of the Montgomery County Police 4th District assigned Officer LeRoux to coordinate and investigate all incidents within our community as of February. In order for us to best take advantage of this move, it is important that we provide Officer LeRoux with an understanding of the frequency and nature of incidents that have been reported to the Montgomery County Police since September 1, 2008. This will allow her to establish a baseline assessment of crime and incident frequency, as well as assess how the 4th District is doing in terms of follow-up and offer suggestions for what we can do to improve the situation.
If you have reported an incident to the Montgomery County Police since September 1, 2008, please provide a description of what was reported to Alan, preferably by e-mail to Stoneb07@gmail.com or, if that is not feasible, to his home phone 301-598-2836.
To the extent you are able, we would like to know:
- date of incident
- nature of incident
- whether reported to 911 or to the non-emergency number (301-279-8000)
- if a report was taken
- if an officer was dispatched
- if fingerprints were taken
- the case number, if one was assigned
AGWG cannot and does not recommend or endorse these respective service providers. AGWG makes no express or implied warranties with respect to the quality or suitability of these service providers. AGWG members prospectively seeking to employ service providers accept full responsibility for interviewing and selecting suitable service providers.
