Seal Beach residents partner with the Police Department to reduce crime and prepare for potential disasters.
Crime creates personal disasters for those who become its victims, said Seal Beach Police Chief Joe Stilinovich.
“Most communities endure an element that thinks it’s okay to take advantage of others,” he said. “However we’ve found that when neighbors know and look out for each other opportunities for crime are reduced. Think of it as personal disaster prevention.”
Neighbor 4 Neighbor, a locally-conceived program, offers an effective way for residents to get to know all their neighbors while banding together to learn proven methods to reduce the potential of becoming a crime victim. Several local communities have embraced Neighbor 4 Neighbor, but Seal Beach, via the police department, is intended to have the entire city benefit from the program.
Many residents already are organizing their streets so when a big earthquake or other disaster happens, they will be prepared not only to withstand the actual event, but also to recover from it as quickly and safely as possible.
Experts agree that initially people will have to depend on themselves following a disaster (hours, days, perhaps even weeks depending on the situation). The experts also agree that groups of people working together in emergency situations fare much better than individuals working alone.
“I look at N4N as essential for any kind of effective response considering how overwhelmed police and fire will be in any major disaster situation,” said Dr. Joe Horejsi of College Park East. “Better to be of help than to need help.”
Those thoughts are echoed by Ray Vella, also of CPE. “It’s important to know all of your neighbors; you may need them as much as they need you,” Vella said.
An N4N focal point is a neighborhood “Meet and Greet” social gathering where residents have the chance to interact with each other as well as hear from the Seal Beach Police about crime prevention and Orange County Fire about fire safety and disaster preparation. Southern California Edison actively participates via employees who volunteer their time to teach electrical safety to children and adults alike.
The West County Community Emergency Response Team supports the theme by providing information on a variety of important preparation topics. Bob Peters Fire Protection sells and services fire extinguishers at the event and PPE Suppliers is available for preparation equipment and supplies.
Another component of N4N are neighborhood directories so neighbors are able to contact each other when they need to. In actual practice, neighbors have helped each other avoid street sweeper tickets by moving cars, by checking curling irons suspected of being left on, and by letting others know about vacations so their properties can be looked after.
“N4N has helped connect our community in a way that extends far beyond the traditional ‘neighborhood watch’ model,” said Sue Dvonch of the Hill. “While certainly there are safety and security benefits, our street also communicates with neighbors on matters relative to helping those who are alone and in need of assistance, general neighborhood issues and even good news about our wonderful neighbors that warrants sharing.
“We also have used N4N to spearhead block sponsored social activities and have had amazing response to those events.”
Monica Morgan, another Hill resident and N4N block captain loves the way Neighbor 4 Neighbor has changed her street for the better. “The people on our street are working to make the neighborhood safer and as we get to know each other better, everyone is doing more for their fellow neighbors,” she said.
“I’ve always loved living here, but Seal Beach seems so much nicer now,” Morgan said.
“The N4N program has helped provide a fantastic framework for bringing us all together for the benefit of our whole neighborhood and I’m excited that the program is spreading throughout Seal Beach,” Dvonch said.
Seal Beach residents Wink Chase and Pattie Laird formed Neighbor-4-Neighbor out of their love of Seal Beach and desire to help out their neighbors.
The idea for N4N grew out of their involvement in the Community Emergency Response Team, a federal disaster preparation program coordinated by the Seal Beach Police Department. Learning about first aid, CPR, and other preparation skills sparked their interest in preparation.
This led to the idea of a program to help their community and their neighbors be better prepared for whatever comes. Chase, a local realtor, and Laird, a former firefighter, created N4N in the hopes of spreading the skills needed to be self-sufficient.
“Neighbor-4-Neighbor helps people and neighborhoods learn how to be their own first responder,” Chase said.
For more information about Neighbor 4 Neighbor, phone Cpl. Michael Henderson of the Seal Beach Police Department at (562) 799-4100 ext. 1145 or email mhenderson@sealbeachca.gov.
