Joe Garrett, one of the organizers of the Ocean Park community watch group, explained the workings of one of the many available electronic devices for home security.

What’s the problem?

Last week several members of the recently formed Ocean Park neighborhood watch group got together again at the OP firehouse community room to talk. This meeting was about the many electronic devices on the market that can assist with home or business security.

Joe Garrett, one of the informal organizers of the group, brought several sensors — with cameras and even speakers — that can be accessed via a home Wi-Fi system, even remotely. He’d even taken one off his house for show and tell. “All you need is a mounting for a porch light. They are easy to install.” (More on these devices in a moment.) But what exactly is the catalyst for these watch group meetings?

In recent winter months, there has been a spate of thievery and vandalism on the north end of the Peninsula. Every community has folks who don’t have the resources they need — either mental, physical, or financial — to put a productive life together. There are many factors involved. Data points tell part of the story. In Washington those considered living in poverty are 10% of the population; in King County the average is 8.4%. In Pacific County it’s nearly 14%. As well, the unemployment rate in Washington state is around 4.2%; in Pacific county we have a 6.4% unemployment rate.

Sometimes people get caught in a drug-trap that requires money they don’t have to feed an addiction that may itself be a misguided attempt at self-medication. Maybe that lost job has put them on the street or living in a car or couch surfing. Mental health issues are often involved. Do we give these people the benefit of the doubt and a lift up, or are there just too many bad actors?

There are many inter-related issues that can come together to get someone off track. But whatever the case, even if we can empathize with the situation and understand the context, causing harm, taking things that aren’t yours, endangering or frightening other people is never okay.

What’s the fix?

So what’s the fix? The ramp-up in the last months of vandalism and stealing on the north end got neighbors talking to each other. Taking things from porches, breaking into garages and stealing batteries or equipment, scoping out empty houses or trailers for future theft, even shoplifting schemes have been observed. The neighbors of Ocean Park and adjacent areas are understandably upset because it feels like they have no good options for how to counter these attacks.

One community member said, “We’ve been told even if someone can be booked and fingerprinted, they’ll be out within an hour. They can’t be kept in our jail because there are other more serious crimes being committed and the space is needed for those criminals.” Another said, “We know who these people are — we have photos and names — but nothing seems to be done about it.” The level of frustration is running high.

So a small group of neighbors finally had had enough. They decided it was time to get together and try to create some homegrown solutions: to talk to each other, to identify how they might be able to change things, and to establish some networking ideas. The first meeting Jan. 5 involved Pacific County Sheriff’s Deputy Cosmo Cozby and Sgt. Nick Zimmerman. (Big kudos to both of them!) Over 60 people attended — standing room only — and it became a listening session: the county officials got an earful of stories about what had been happening and the unresponsiveness to the problems.

A related aside: I’ve often written about the governance imbalance in Pacific County. Because I live in Nahcotta, I am more familiar with the goings-on of all the small provincial and unincorporated residential areas of our north end: Ocean Park, Nahcotta, Surfside, Sunset Sands, Oysterville. Despite providing a bulk of the tax revenue to the county — somewhere close to 25-30% — and because we live in unincorporated areas, we have no formal administrative systems for community issues.

Our only access for problem resolution is through one of three Pacific County commissioners. So often our issues go unaddressed or are watered down, over-ridden, discounted or misunderstood. (Fireworks is certainly one of these issues. The Long Beach restrictions are a step in the right direction but could well mean an increase in fireworks on the north end.) Part of the fault may be ours — we have rarely attempted to build a north end coalition to address or redress our concerns.

Some remedies

But, be that all as it may, the north end neighborhood watch group has made some strides in bringing residents together to try to cope with the seeming lack of police coverage. Here’s what has been developed to date. There is a Facebook website for north end Pacific County residents who want to join the neighborhood watch group: www.facebook.com/groups/1403557470539418. (Send a request to join if you’re interested.) The site includes meeting announcements; videos of break-ins; notices about and photos of property that’s been stolen; and related information.

As mentioned the last meeting was an informational gathering focused on devices, like the RING camera, that can provide another security tool for home or business owners. These devices can visually record and alert you as to what is taking place on or around your property. Many of these also allow a homeowner to access an audio speaker, even at a distance. One couple talked about being several states away and being notified that a guy was on their porch trying to steal a large planter. They were able to use the speaker component of their camera device to send a sort of “Voice of God” directly to the home-invader; that startled him and scared him off.

There are many brand-name devices now on the market. The price for a base unit is around $100 to $150; and some refurbished units can be found on Amazon or other sites for good discounts. Your home does need a Wi-Fi to make them work. This allows you, with an application on your phone, to be able to not only have access to real-time images of what’s happening but also to be able to speak to someone at your door or around your home.

Joe talked about being out of state and having the Ring camera alert them to someone at their door. He was able to speak to that person via his phone. Of course this makes it appear that someone is actually at home. If you have questions about exactly what devices to purchase or how you might use them, join the FB site listed about and become a watch group member.

Note that the next meeting will include Sheriff Daniel Garcia and will be held on Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. at the Ocean Park Fire Station. Many of the issues above will be discussed, and watch organizers are requesting that questions be posted beforehand on the FB site. Let’s acknowledge the difficulties some folks are experiencing now, and, at the same time, keep our communities safe.