During a community council meeting at North Star Elementary School in early October, Anchorage police officer Will Cameron answered questions and listened to a small group of homeowners vent about a perceived rash of thefts and a chronic inebriate problem.
Members of the North Star Community Council, which covers an area from Minnesota Drive to the Seward Highway between Midtown and downtown Anchorage, invited an officer to speak to them about setting up a neighborhood watch group.
"There's a woman who lives over on Aurora (Street) who was having problems. She's lived there for a while and noticed an uptick in criminal activities," said council president Andre Camara. "It may just be more people paying attention than an actual uptick in crime. Though they seem to be getting a little more brazen."
Emails among council members detail thefts on properties. In late September, a homeowner on West 18th Avenue had two sheds broken into. Snow tires were stolen. "A white van with ladders on top was backed into the driveway this afternoon -- don't know if it was involved but owner said they didn't have a contractor at the house," the email reads.
North Star isn't alone in its concerns. Rogers Park Community Council reported what appeared to be a noticeable uptick in thefts from yards and vehicles over the past month. Airport Heights is reportedly having similar problems.
Many of the streets in the neighborhood already have what officer Natasha Welch simply calls "watch groups." Welch runs the Anchorage Police Department's neighborhood watch program.
Camara said a gambling house was causing problems on another street. Now, that street is looking to organize, and officer Cameron encouraged the development of a watch group.
"I think every neighborhood should have one," Cameron told the council members. "It's your neighborhood. It's where we grow up and raise families. If there are thefts going on ... it will help."
Cameron is one of six officers tasked with managing community-oriented units at the police department. He was standing in for officer Welch, who was sick.
Situated behind Welch's desk in a corner officer at the police department headquarters is an open cabinet with more than 200 manila folders. Each folder represents an active watch group.
The basic criteria for starting a watch group includes neighbors being able to see each other's home, so no groups organized in loops or the like; and no more than 25 homes on a street. About half of the homeowners on the street have to join in. The program used to provide signage but the grant money that paid for them has dried up.
Welch inherited the department's neighborhood watch program in 2009. She said she regularly gets calls from homeowners wanting to start their own.
"It's a simple idea," she said, "Get neighbors to look out for each other's property, and we focus on property crime because the groups help deter and delay those crimes. Crimes against people have elements you can't control. You can lock your doors, though."
Watch groups typically begin with a catalyst: A crime happens along a street, and residents want to feel more in control. People sometimes just want to meet their neighbors, but it's often quality of life issues that spark the beginning of a neighborhood watch, Welch said.
When Welch meets with watch group hopefuls, she brings along crime statistics. She tries to keep the data fresh -- generally, crimes within the past year -- while informing the homeowners that crime happens everywhere.
"Neighborhoods always have their own legends," she said. "They talk about the time Ms. Roberts was burglarized like it was yesterday, when it was actually 15 years ago. But crime happens everywhere, regardless of the bubble some live in. They may be happening down the road."
Anchorage police dispatch handles up to 1,000 calls on a normal day. The day Permanent Fund dividend checks are distributed and the first snowfall are much busier, Welch said. Vehicle vandalism is also problematic in Anchorage -- every night, there are vehicles broken into across the city.
Spike in vehicle thefts
Property-related crimes rose in 2013, according to APD's Annual Statistical Report. Anchorage experienced a 37 percent increase in thefts from vehicles last year.
"The overall trend (of theft from cars) started in summer 2012 but the most significant increase was in August of 2013, peaking in September," the report says. Welch says fall is prime time for tire thefts, which are hard to prove ownership of as they lack identifying characteristics like serial numbers.
In 2013, there were 95 reported thefts in the North Star Community Council area.
Other neighborhoods saw more thefts: Airport Heights reported 235 thefts and Fairview reported 436, according to the data.
In an effort to curtail crime, the department pursued several projects and programs in 2013, according to the report. Those programs include the Community Action Policing Team and enforcement of the municipal code for excessive police responses. Welch is part of both; she manages the latter.
The CAP Team was able to close problem hotel the Inlet Inn through enforcement of the excessive police responses ordinance.
"The work we do is more community oriented," Welch said. "That's our whole goal. It's to get out there and make long-term sustainable change, which is hard from a patrol (officer) standpoint, because they're going from call to call to call. It's a different mentality about policing and intentions."
Do watch groups reduce crime?
Welch said she doesn't have hard data showing neighborhood watch groups reduce crime. Still, she believes in their use.
"I do know that once neighbors know each other it does nothing but benefit an area. People feel comfortable about reporting stuff and feel more encouraged to do so," she said. "I have no doubt that it's beneficial."
A 2008 U.S. Justice Department analysis reviewed the results of 18 research projects and studies. The analysis concluded that citizen policing programs were associated with a "significant reduction in crime," though there was insufficient data to justify conclusions about why the programs resulted in positive outcomes.
Camara, the North Star Community Council president, said he doesn't know if the homeowners on the street with a gambling house took further action after the meeting. He hopes they do.
Communication among those on his street, he said, appears to help.
"As an individual who lives on a street with an established group, just that fact that we share information helps," he said. "It seems to make a difference."