vandalism

An important message from the HOA Board of Directors and the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, Valerie Vaughn

You may have never experienced theft or vandalism of your home or other personal property, but understand that other homeowners in Packard Estates have been affected. Homeowners on Chemise reported some items stolen from their garage after leaving the garage door open all night.

Just this summer (05) the Meridian Police Department had an altercation with a young male at the Louie's Restaurant. That individual fled into the Dove Meadows/Packard Estates subdivisions looking for open homes in which to hide. He was apprehended several hours later in the early morning hours after our neighborhood was totally barricaded and a house to house search was conducted.

Early in the Summer of 05, someone was tampering with the common area sprinkler timer settings. This caused many common areas of our neighborhood to be damaged. Locks had to be installed on sprinkler control boxes and after a couple weeks the common areas began to recover.

Toward the end of the pool season in 05, a large group of bushes surrounding the pool began turning brown. The bushes and the associated damage was analyzed by a professional landscape company. It was determined they had been sprayed with a vegetation killer such as Roundup. We are hoping the bushes will recover. If not, there could be an added expense to the 06 landscape budget.

Toward the end of Sept 05, two separate homeowners on Chemise reported their American Flag and attachment pole were torn away from their home and removed.

In December 05, a home on Hickory had their inflatable Christmas display vandalized. It happened Dec 9, sometime after 11 pm, when the vandals tried to pull out the hold down stakes and tore the display. The unit was repaired the next day but that evening it again was vandalized as someone apparently jumped on the inflatable display causing severe damage. Unfortunately, it had to be removed for the season.

It is important for all homeowners to understand that vandalism and other forms of crime exist in our neighborhood. Do your part by ensuring your home is secure whenever you are away. Before retiring for the evening, confirm garage doors are closed and consider securing other areas of your home (doors, windows, etc) where a thief may enter. If leaving your home for a few days, get a house sitter, or put interior lights on a timer. Have your neighbors watch for any suspicious activity. If you awaken in the middle of the night, have a look outside for persons or vehicles that look suspicious. And also, please report any vandalism of any common area property to include the clubhouse, pool, sprinklers, or any landscaping.

As a Neighborhood Watch community we all need to remain vigilant for one another. Report any suspicious activity to your Block Captain, Neighborhood Watch Coordinator, or the Meridian Police Department.