Crime Watch Committee
The crime watch voice mail phone number is (214) 967-5121. Each Tuesday the message is updated with the latest crime statistics for the Elmwood area, received directly from the Dallas Police Department. The recorded message includes criminal activity for the week, neighborhood information that could affect us, safety tips, urgent bulletins and other information from the Dallas Police Department
The voice mail system is user friendly, (214) 967-5121, and can be accessed at anytime. Users can bypass the recording and leave a message of up to two minutes by pressing the star (*) key on a touch-tone phone. Note: The Crime Alert Line does NOT ring in anyone's home, so you can feel free to call it any time of day or night.)
"Crime Alert" signs are posted throughout the neighborhood if there is sufficient reason. Call the hotline whenever you see the signs.
If you should experience a crime, remember to call 911 FIRST, and then call the voice mail number to advise. Your call is important to us and will be returned if needed, just leave your name and phone number if you want a return call.
How you can help: The Crime Watch Committee needs volunteers to post more Crime Alert signs. More strategic locations to post the signs are also needed, preferably corner lots on the main streets leading into our area. In other words, we need residents to "adopt" a sign and display it as needed.
The Crime Watch Committee also needs people to sponsor the Crime Alert Line, which costs a small monthly fee to operate.
Working together, we can keep crime to a minimum and make our area an even safer place to live.
The Elmwood crime watch area is bounded by Illinois on the South, Hampton on the West, the Dart track on the North and Vernon on the East. Although Polk is the Elmwood neighborhood boundary on the East side, stopping there would leave 3 blocks with no crime watch in between our area and Wynnewood North which also has a good crime watch.
Crime Prevention Tips
- The Elmwood Crime Watch Committee offers the following tips for keeping safe around your home:
- Leave a radio on low volume when you are away from home, so that it sounds like someone is there.
- Leave lights on in one or more rooms when you are away at night. If you are away for an extended period, use a timer that will turn lights on and off based on your normal routine.
- Keep the outside of your house well lit at night. Use light sensors so that porch lights turn on automatically when it gets dark. Install motion detector floodlights will turn on if someone enters your yard or approaches you home
- If you are alone and discover that someone is prowling around your home, pretend you are with someone and call out to them. Turn on outside lights and dial 911.
- Keep doors and windows closed and locked. Use deadbolt locks on exterior doors.
- Always close and lock your garage door. If you have an automatic garage door opener, keep it secured in the glove box of your car.
- Never divulge personal information to a stranger over the telephone.
- Babysitters should never tell anyone who calls that they are alone with your children.
- Keep your landscape maintained and hedges trimmed low next to your home so no one can hide around your house. Consider using thorny plants such as holly around windows. Remember, a well maintained yard indicates a home is occupied.
- Consider getting a security system for your home.
- If you are in your home and someone breaks in, get out as quickly and safely as possible or put as many doors (especially with locks) as possible between you and the intruder and call 911.