PORTSMOUTH
Crime has fallen sharply in Cradock, where resident s last year rejuvenated a neighborhood watch program and began working closely with police and a new sheriff's department unit to clean up the streets.
A year ago, cars were coming and going from drug houses and people openly conducted business on cell phones, said Ted Lamb, a schoolteacher raising a family in the community.
Lamb kick-started the neighborhood watch last summer, and the group began feeding information to police, especially to Officer William Baker, the neighborhood-impact officer. In the fall, the newly formed Community Enforcement Unit of the sheriff's department began patrolling Cradock in a pilot program.
During roughly the first five months of 2008, crime in Cradock has dropped 45 percent compared with the same period in 2007. That's even as it rose 16 percent in the rest of Portsmouth, police said.
Civic League President Laura Somers credits the league, the neighborhood watch, Baker and the sheriff's deputies.
Baker put it this way: "You're seeing -Crad-ock take Cradock back."
Lamb went door-to-door last year to solicit support for the neighborhood watch. Roughly 400 people joined, including 20 or so who regularly patrol the streets, he said.
Debra Grinels said her shifts involve looking for drug deals, fights and things that don't seem right. Watch members track suspicious activities and record license plates of vehicles that might be part of drug traffic, she said.
Baker said watch members are his eyes and ears. Their information has sparked investigations and led to arrests, he said.
Their effort was one reason the sheriff's department picked Cradock as a place to start its Community Enforcement Unit patrols last year, said Lt. Lee Cherry, who heads the unit.
Initially, things were busy, he said. Deputies served warrants, confiscated weapons and watched suspected drug houses. Since last fall, Cherry said, the unit has made 149 arrests, the majority of them in Cradock, and has helped police make dozens more. The unit has seized drugs and nine firearms, including two AK-47 rifles found in the Cradock area, he said.
Many of th e arrests were in the first few months. Since then, things have quieted considerably, Cherry said.
Tuesday, Cherry was one of four men separately patrolling the neighborhood in unmarked vehicles. They generally ride from afternoon until late at night. Cherry slowed his Dodge Charger and greeted some youths walking on a sidewalk. They said "hi" back. He rolled past people walking dogs and strolling with baby carriages. Some nights, Cherry quipped, he feels like the Maytag repairman.
The unit, which has already worked in other areas, will move on from Cradock in a few weeks, he said.
Sheriff Bill Watson said several civic leagues have requested that the unit come to their neighborhood.
"If we're in Park View and hear about activity in Cradock, we'll just shoot back here," Watson said.
Some problems remain. Thursday night, Cherry said, the unit recovered 42 capsules of heroin and charged a woman with possession with intent to distribute. Baker said that blight, gangs and drugs still need attention.
Still, the civic league is looking forward, last week endorsing a phased plan for a neighborhood park. Baker pushed the idea when kids told him they needed a place to play.
In Karp's Market last week, employee David Carter said he sees the change. More people are walking around with children and dogs, he said.
"They're not as afraid something's going to happen on the streets."
Matthew Roy, (757) 446-2540, matthew.roy@pilotonline.com
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CRADOCK CRIME
Hello again and the answers to your guestions YES i dont like it at all because there shouldnt b any trash to pick up if the people cared!! do u throw trash in other peoples yard I dont? !why should we have to clean up after the ones that dont care?? YES i have Bill Bakers ph# and have talked to him several times!! Mr Baker knows me ! i didnt say Cradock wasnt better, it is some areas that seems to have been forgotten ! ! oh by the way do u know if there is a certian # of people that can live in a 3 bedroom apartment?? i know of one that has 6 adults and at least 8 childern is that to many ? ? will respond later ! Frank
It's OUR job, no one elses!
Cradock IS improving, Frank. I have lived there for almost 11 years. It's been slow, and sometimes I feel like we take two steps forward and three back, but that's not the overall picture. Many people are getting involved...especially the homeowners.
The question is: are YOU involved in helping to make things better, or are you on the fence? Keep in mind that doing "nothing" is the same as supporting the criminals, the no-accounts, and the slumlords. Do YOU bug the council? Do YOU report problem properties to the city and the police? Do YOU hold your elected officals accountable? Do YOU pick up that trash that accumulates outside your house?
This is how we make a difference. United and together. Like my mom always said....you won't have roaches in a clean kitchen. Come on, Frank...help us clean the Cradock kitchen and drive the "roaches" away!
cradock crime
Hello again! the idea about a park in Cradock well i do believe u might rethink that! does anyone remember the pretty little park that Cradock had? it was called George Washington Park and is still there! there was an inground pool, slides, swings, monkey bars, c-saws, anything the kids wanted to play on! but it got destroyed by the the same people! the only things i see there now are drug dealers and the homeless underneath the nice trees! i have no idea who would pay for this but i am paying enough taxes for now! maybe you could get Mayor Holley to move and live on the 30blk of Cushing St. that would be very interesting! then every day when he came home from his office he could clean up all the trash out of his yard that came from across street or next door! it is not very nice to have to do that! does anyone have any thing to say how good they have done in cleaning up the little place of Cradock??? Frank
Crdock Crime
Hello there!! what part of this little place are u talking about? u must have forgotten about the north side of Cradock! like the 30 block of Cushing St. or Decateur, Simmons,Fauragut or maybe Channing St. but i belive the Sts. im listing are mostly occupied by Section 8 renters! i do think u need to rethink how much progress u have actually acomplished because i havent seen any in these areas! i grant it is better in some areas but not in the ones i listed! especialy on the 30blk. of Cushing St. I will respond more later! Frank
Cradock
I live in Great Bridge but for work I have had the great joy of visiting the Cradock neighborhood a few times. Cradock is a beautiful neighborhood with a lot of character the newer subdivisions lack. The trees are mature, there are sidewalks, stores within walking distance, a school within walking distance, and beautiful turn of the century homes. The only downside of the neighborhood is the location.
Keep up the great work in getting rid of the crime in your neighborhood.
Ted Rocks!
From the very start Ted was enthusiastic and believed that if the people of Cradock came together and worked together we could help make Cradock a safe place to live. There have been many naysayers and politicians along the way who have said it couldn’t be done, or who have tried to take the credit for what Ted and the Watch have been doing… But this sets the record straight – it all starts with one man, and then leads to a community working together with law enforcement to lower crime. I believe there is a bright future for Cradock ahead, and I look forward to seeing what the Watch will accomplish in the years ahead!
~K. Miller, Block Captain in the Cradock Neighborhood Watch
Well done!
What a courageous move Ted made in bringing this idea to Cradock! We've watched the idea grow to fruition and this twenty-two year resident couldn't be more proud. I know this team. It won't be satisfied until the rate is down 99%. If you'll pardon the vernacular, you ain't seen nothin' yet!
Great, uplifting story
it shows what can happen when people take personel responsibilty and not always totally depend on the government to solve their problems...
I am a proud resident of Cradock
I am proud of what Ted has done through his (and others) ideas to help the community. It is my hope to continue with his plan for a cleaner Cradock both in area of everyday dealings and also with the trash within the community.