Citizens’ Patrol for Ocean Beach to Begin October 12th

Report from Meeting on Monday Night – October 8th – at Tower Two

By Celeste

Around 30 or so people crowded in the Tower Two Café on Monday’s meeting on creating the OB Citizens Patrol. Tim Nolan, owner of the cafe, had recommended that people who sign up for patrols carry a flashlight. He also suggested having a siren to scare people away. He reinstated several times that the patrol is set up to PREVENT not to PROVOKE and anyone “misbehaving” would be asked to leave the patrol group.

He also suggested that the patrols take place on Friday and Saturday nights in two 3 hours shifts. The first shift would begin at 9pm-midnight, and then midnight-3 am. He would like to have 3 or more people in a patrol group, patrolling a 2 block square (depending on how many people show up).  The area that would be patrolled would be Newport Ave to West Point Loma Blvd, and Cable Street to the beaches.

We are happy to report that the OB Citizens Patrol is in full effect and will begin patrols this Friday, October 12, just in time for the big October Fest weekend. The patrols will meet in front of a well-lit spot right in front of the Tower Two Café. Tim will help patrol both shifts, on both nights this weekend, and asked others in the crowd to join him. A sign-up sheet was passed around the room, and lots of people stood up to offer their assistance.

It was suggested if women wanted to patrol that they have at the very least 1 man in the group. A lady in the crowd suggested women drive around and patrol the streets, while another lady came to me and said it might be better if the women patrolled on bikes instead of in vehicles.

Tim will go over worst case scenarios right before the meet up patrol times. Tim offered his phone number out to the group, and asked that anyone in need, to contact him, he owns a motor bike and could be there in a minute.

Tim offered to make plaque versions of the OB Citizens Patrol sign free of charge for local businesses, and would have flyers for locals to put up in their windows. As Tim said, this is a grassroots effort to raise awareness and make our streets safe again. Since we are still organizing, and planning, the group is open to comments and suggestions by everyone.

At the end of the meeting, I heard someone suggest having another patrol meet-up spot located at the 7-11 on Voltaire and Bacon, for those living in that area. That is something to bring up at the next meeting. This weekend, we are asking folks to meet Tim either at 9, or midnight in front of the Tower Two Café.

Until we are 100% organized and fully functioning, Tim suggested holding a weekly meeting. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 16 at the Tower Two Café, at 7pm. Everyone is encouraged to come.

Before the meeting, the OB Woman’s Club met with 2 nursing students who are interested in joining forces to create awareness and making our streets safe. They’re going to print out small cards with safety tips and phone numbers, to pass out to folks in the community. They will have something done and ready to present at the next meeting.

Two letters and a brochure alerting folks of what’s been going on were passed around. The goal is to hand these out to folks in bars, house to house, etc. to get the word out. The 2 letters can be found on the OB Crime Watch facebook group. The brochure was given to Tim.

Nolan ended the meeting with giving out his personal phone #. He also stated that suspicious activity or unusual behavior should be reported to the police non-emergency phone # 619-531-2000, and if you see a crime in progress, call 911. He also gave out the phone number for vehicles parked longer than 72 hours 858-495-7856.

For more information, visit the Facebook group OB Crime Watch.