City of Bellemeade

Why does Bellemeade not have Neighborhood Watch signs since we seem to have a very active Neighborhood Watch?

We have one on North Chadwick near Shelbyville Road.

When we signed up for Neighborhood Watch with LMPD we ordered 10 signs one for each our our entrances. 

We were told they were back ordered. It took six months before the first one was installed. The other nine are still on order.

That response by Mr. Odom-Groh is not exactly correct.  I was the Neighborhood Watch Captain at that time and closely coordinated with Officer Roger Pickett of LMPD (our LMPD Neighborhood Resource Officer).  The sign at the Moorgate entrance was installed within a month and a half and stood there for some some time unbeknownst to you unitl Miss Muff posted about it on this site. 

After Officer Pickett explained to me that there were numerous communities waiting for the signs, and that we probably would not get anymore - period, I asked you to ask the Bellemeade City Commission to purchase more signs thinking that if we spend tax money on trees for private property, we could surely justify spending money on signs erected for the purpose of helping keep Bellemeade residents and their property safer.  The way I understand it, the Commission took no action because you did not take the lead and suggest the idea to them much in the same way you take the lead only on ideas that you conjure up.  And ... that's the rest of the story.

To bring things up to date:  After your attempts at having a functional neighborhood watch resulted in nearly nine months of no activity, a group of residents have re-organized Neighborhood Watch as a citizen-organized, citizen-operated organization.  We are organized in five areas overseen by seven Area Captains.  We have had meetings, conducted block surveys, successfully sent alerts; so  the concept is working.   Also we are looking into ways to purchase the signs from private money since you seem totally disinterested in doing anything to help.  I say that you seem disinterested because one of the Area Captains wrote to you this week about the need for the signs and you gave her the same sad story about the back order. Urgency has to transcend beyond sad stories and lack of mayoral leadership. 

We do not have time for more failed attempts; the last one nearly destroyed neighborhood watch after you let it set there from July 12th with no follow up.  And worse than no follow up was your misguided and totally false statements that the neighborhood captain had recruited captains for every block and had the watch running smoothly.  The truth of the matter was that absolutely nothing, ZERO, was happening with Neighborhood Watch.

But we have moved far beyond that.  As a heads up, two of our Block Captains and one Area Captain are working on mass communication ideas such as autodialer software for alerts.  One other Area Captain has suggested that we present a request for the money for signs, the autodialer  system, and other various and sundry necessities to the Commission. 

Also, let me take this opportunity to thank those 37 people who are serving either as an Area Captain, a Block Captain, or an Alternate Block Captain.  You are providing a vital service; THANK YOU!!!  And, if there is a resident who has not yet been contacted, please find out who your Block Captain is and contact her/him.

I have some questions - I apologize if they are not directly related to this particular post.  I am just confused about some things I have read and replied to this particular post so that I was not creating a new one. 

Is Mooregate part of Bellemeade?  Is our Mayor responsible for this whole section or are they separate?

What are the five areas of NW?  They are having meetings?  How many households are involved?

What were the alerts?  Is this an email thing, a phone call, a knock on the door?  How were they successful?

What are the signs for? 

What was wrong with the neighborhood watch that was already in place? I do understand that  by not participating in email alerts by choice may make me uninvolved, but I was thinking there must be more than emails to this.  It is commented on this site that most people in this neighborhood do not have computers? 

I am interested in knowing what measures are in place now that were not in place before.