WALK SOFTLY NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Opinion Editorial

By Joseph Wiszowaty

First of all, I want to commend Village Trustee Lynda Washington-House on her tenacity to move forward with the Neighborhood Watch Program.  She has dived full-force into her efforts of trying to implement a new program village-wide.  Raising funds to purchase signs without a cost to the taxpayers, well done Lynda!

While her enthusiasm is applauded, the effects felt by some have left a lot to be desired.  Trustee Washington-House needs to walk a little softly when dealing with other areas who have established their own Neighborhood Watch programs or those who do not have neighborhoods who have anyone participating in the program altogether.  These would be those imaginary protestors who did not show up at a Village Board meeting Tuesday night and did not have any intention of protesting anything.  This was nothing more than journalist and political sensationalism run amuck!  I felt sorry for the reporter who got caught up in this.

Additionally, the logo selected by the Village’s Neighborhood Watch Committee is not the National Organization’s official “Boris the Burglar” logo (see photo below)  Instead some claim that the Village adopted the “Kanye the Crook” which depicts a criminal black man in prison garb.   Now Kanye the Crook is not the National recognized logo, it is now the Village’s official logo for the Neighborhood Crime Watch.

BORIS THE BURGLAR "OFFICIAL LOGO"

or the Watchful Eye logo (see photo).

THE WATCHFUL EYE "OFFICIAL LOGO"

 HERE is the Village's "Official Logo" Kanye the Crook:

Sauk Village's Logo "Kanye the Crook"

I think it was a poor choice for a logo, why not just simply use the tried and true one of the two national logos instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and using an alarm company logo?

While it is nice to have a Neighborhood Crime Watch program, you have to have the support of the neighbors in the hood, not just a handful of volunteers to force a program onto residents who do not want to participate in the program and force them to have signs.  Signs do not deter crime a strong pro-active police department does!   Many successful Neighborhood Watch Programs are managed and work closely with their local police departments and do not have a “political flavor” such as Sauk Village’s program.

I prefer to take the politics out and once again reiterate, I applaud Trustee Washington-House’s efforts.