Proud of the progress

Editor:

An open letter to the people of Antioch. Dear citizens and neighbors, in a recent letter to the editor, a fellow Antiochian, Eleanor Coburn wrote, "I think it is time for people to stop bashing Antioch! My husband and I have been married 42 years. We have lived in Germany, Connecticut, Western New York, Central Pennsylvania, Suisun and Antioch. We have never lived anywhere that we have enjoyed as much as Antioch." Eleanor ended her letter by saying, "Antioch is a wonderful town, and I feel truly blessed to live here.'

We, who serve on the Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission, wish to join Eleanor and say that it really is time to stop bashing Antioch. Antioch is a wonderful town and a great place to live.

Although we are facing some challenging times, we have much to be excited about, and we are encouraged because our citizens are stepping up, taking a stand and helping to preserve our neighborhoods.

Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commissioners have the important job of overseeing and working with the Neighborhood Watch Block Captains who work diligently to create a sense of safety and unity in our neighborhoods.

The mission of the Neighborhood Watch program is to enlist the active participation of our residents in cooperation with the Antioch Police Department to reduce crime in Antioch, and provide open communication with the Antioch Police Department.

To that end, Neighborhood Watch groups are aggressively stepping up their neighbor activities. In fact, just since June of this year, there have been nineteen Neighborhood Watch meetings, nine of which were first time meetings; seven were second time meetings; and three were revitalized group meetings. In other words, people and neighborhoods that were never involved in the Neighborhood Watch Program before have stepped up to the plate, and by doing so, dormant groups have been inspired to get back into the game.

Further, between Jan. 1, 2006 and Oct. 16, 2006, Commission volunteers have invested some 518 hours in helping to keep our neighborhoods safe, while Volunteers in Police Service, (VIPS), have invested even more hours than that. This is something to be proud of.

In the coming days, as we work to create even more neighborhood watch groups, and we partner with our police chief, officers, volunteers, city government and block captains, we call upon the citizens of this city to refuse to give your neighborhoods and our city over to crime and apathy. Get involved. Support your Neighborhood Watch group. If your neighborhood does not have one, contact us so that we can help you get one started. Please call us at 779-6980.

We encourage you to stop, look and remember. Antioch, your home, is a beautiful town and a wonderful place

to live!

Chair Hans Ho, PhD; Vice Chair Dan Vasquez, Commissioners Georgia Koch, John Kelly, Iris Archuleta,

Moses de los Reyes, Jesse Zuniga

Antioch Police Crime

Prevention Commission