Newman Park Residents Share Concerns with Police

EP Police Neighborhood Relations Coordinator Leslie Canada makes a point as Commander Austin (center) and Officer Slack listen

Newman Park neighbors met yesterday with Central Commander Mark Austin, Officer Henry Slack and Leslie Canada, the Neighborhood Relations Coordinator with the police department. Residents discussed their concerns about recent vandalism, a case of arson, and new graffiti in the area.

Ms. Canada informed the group that the City is about to launch a new anti-graffiti awareness program and that the police will be doing anti-tagging education with 6 to 12 year olds.

The police trio recommended several actions neighbors can take now:

• Report tagging immediately even if it isn't on your property.
• Report suspicious activity - a youth with a backpack late at night, for example.
• Work with the Neighborhood Coalition and get ideas from other Associations.
• Report code violations.
• Report paper plates on cars that have been there for a long time.
• Ask the police to do a safety inspection of your home. You can get up to 20% off your house insurance this way.
• Take part in the HEAT program. You register your vehicle and ask police to stop and check it after a certain time at night.
• If you suspect that there is a stash house near you, report it.

Neighbors expressed their gratitude to Freeda Westmoreland who hosted the meeting in her home.

Newman Park Picked for First Police Shift Meeting

The City of El Paso is planning year-round shift meetings in each of the different districts. Central Command picked the 56th District which includes Newman Park as its first meeting for the year. That meeting was held this morning at 10 a.m. at the park.

Police officers and code officers met with neighbors. There were six of us which was great given the short notice that we received. (Officer Slack promised that they would be doing another such meeting in the summer and that he would be giving us more notice first.)

Officer Slack addressed several important issues including auto theft, Operation ID and the Border Star program which stops cars before they cross the border so that ownership can be verified. (There are two main reasons for stealing cars: for the parts as they can be sold for a lot more money; or, especially in the case of 4x4 trucks, to be used to smuggle drugs back into the U.S. across desert terrain.)

Slack said that the team assembled today would be going up and down the streets in the area principally looking for quality of life/code compliance violations.

Judy Gutierrez from Representative Susie Byrd's office was there. She stated that quality of life issues are very important to the Mayor Pro-Tem.